Of the software developer productivity metrics you’ve collected, which provide the most actionable insights (examples: DORA software metrics, SPACE, etc.)?

I usually start with the DORA metrics, but my personal habits right now involve collecting a wide range of metrics. We use JIRA and GitHub for work management and source control, so I gather as much data as possible from these platforms. I believe it's crucial to focus on trends over time rather than reacting to any single number in isolation. Monitoring metrics over time provides a more comprehensive understanding of what's happening. I approach monitoring my teams similarly to how I monitor production systems, at a holistic level.

We also use JIRA data and track metrics such as the number of issues that arise in production and how quickly we resolve them. Additionally, I pay attention to team dynamics during meetings. For example, the number of smiles on team members' faces can be an indicator of the team's health, which is just as important as the application's health.

One thing I'd like to add is the importance of looking at security scans to ensure there are no open security issues. We also focus on code quality, not just the defects that make it into production, but also those identified during quality engineering automation runs. I believe in trending these metrics over time and emphasizing continuous improvement. Every system is different, but you can always trend data to gain insights.