Merge Time

Definition & formula

median(branch creation timestamp - branch merge timestamp)

The time from branch creation to branch merge.

Analysis

Another important diagnostic for Cycle Time. Not all software work has coding behind it, but for the work that does, knowing your average merge time is fundamental to improving speed.

Background

It originated from the agile development framework and has been widely used in software development teams since its inception. In agile methodologies, branches are often created to work on specific features or bug fixes. The ability to quickly merge these branches back into the main codebase is crucial for maintaining a smooth development workflow. Merge Time was introduced as a way to quantify the duration of this process and identify any bottlenecks or inefficiencies.

Use cases

Merge Time is used by software development teams to monitor and improve their development speed. It is particularly valuable in scenarios where coding work is involved. Development teams utilize this metric to track the average time it takes for branches to be merged, identify trends, and make informed decisions to optimize their workflow.

Engineering managers, project managers, and software leads are among the key stakeholders who rely on Merge Time to assess the efficiency of their teams. By analyzing this metric, they can identify areas where improvements can be made, such as streamlining code review processes, enhancing collaboration, or addressing any technical challenges that hinder fast merges.

Evaluating the metric

When evaluating Merge Time, a shorter duration is generally considered a good value. This indicates that branches are being merged quickly, enabling faster integration of new features or bug fixes into the main codebase.

Conversely, a long Merge Time is often indicative of inefficiencies in the development process. It could suggest issues such as complex code conflicts, inadequate code review practices, or a lack of coordination among team members. Identifying and addressing these issues is crucial to improve the effectiveness of the software engineering team.

By monitoring and analyzing Merge Time, development teams can gain valuable insights into their workflow efficiency, identify areas for improvement, and strive for continuous optimization to deliver high-quality software in a timely manner.