Engineering metrics leaders should track in 2026 (and what to do with them)

The text discusses the importance of understanding and using engineering metrics effectively, emphasizing that these metrics should not be treated like a simple checklist. It underscores the necessity for engineering leaders to select metrics that provide insights into organizational health, systemic issues, and resource allocation, while also enabling teams to enhance their performance without merely optimizing for numbers. The text distinguishes between metrics for teams, which help them improve productivity by identifying bottlenecks, and metrics about teams, which offer leaders visibility into organizational patterns and progress. The article further explores the role of DORA metrics in gauging software delivery performance, the significance of developer experience metrics, and how to handle codebase health signals. Lastly, it highlights the potential pitfalls of misusing metrics, such as evaluating individual performance based on them, and advises starting with one problem area to build a habit of data-driven improvement.