Merged Pull Requests

Owned by Shir Koretski
Dec 20, 2024
2 min read

Understanding Work Distribution and Development Velocity

Overview
Merged pull requests (PRs) represent successfully incorporated changes into the main codebase. When a PR is merged, it means the proposed code has been reviewed, approved, and integrated into the project’s main branch. Tracking who is merging PRs helps you understand the distribution of work within your team and monitor development progress.

What Does This Metric Measure?

This metric tracks the number of PRs successfully merged into the main codebase over a specific period. By examining merged PRs, you gain insights into:

  • Development velocity: The speed at which code changes are integrated.

  • Work distribution: Understanding who is actively contributing and merging changes into the codebase.

How Is This Metric Calculated?

Merged PRs are calculated by counting the number of PRs successfully merged into the main branch within a specified timeframe. This timeframe can vary, typically customized to fit your project’s sprints, monthly, or quarterly cycles.

What Questions Can I Answer from This Data?

This metric helps answer several key questions about development progress and team activity:

  1. How many PRs have been successfully merged over a specific period?
    Track the total number of PRs merged in periods such as sprints, monthly, or quarterly to understand overall progress.

  2. What is the rate of merged PRs over time?
    Measure the rate at which PRs are merged to assess whether development speed is increasing, decreasing, or staying consistent.

  3. Who are the contributors with the most merged PRs?
    Identify which team members are actively contributing and merging code into the project. This can help recognize high-performing individuals and teams.

What Should I Take Away from This Data?

  1. Development Velocity
    Monitoring the rate of merged PRs gives you insights into the speed at which code changes are incorporated into the main codebase. A consistently high merge rate often signals a productive and efficient development process, while slower merge rates may indicate bottlenecks or potential issues in the workflow.

  2. Individual Contributions
    By identifying who is merging the most PRs, you can recognize and appreciate individual contributions and expertise within the team. This information is valuable for acknowledging efforts, fostering healthy team competition, or providing additional support where needed.

  3. Work Distribution
    Tracking who is merging PRs also reveals how work is distributed across your team. If a few team members are merging most PRs, it may be worth investigating whether the workload is balanced or if others need additional support.

Conclusion

Tracking merged pull requests offers valuable insights into your team's development velocity and work distribution. By monitoring this metric, you can assess the speed of progress, recognize individual contributions, and ensure a balanced workload across the team. Keeping an eye on the rate of merged PRs helps optimize your team’s workflow, leading to more efficient development cycles and smoother integration of changes.