Now that you have all the metrics from your engineering workflow, you need to define benchmarks to understand which parts of the workflow need improvement.
Axon allows you to set these KPI Targets for Engineering Metrics very easily.
Why is this important?
KPI Targets could be used to define shared commitments across the organization. The team members are aware of when a particular part of their workflow is blocked. At the analysis-level, it also allows Axon to generate insights for the engineering leaders, visually highlighting the metrics that need attention.
The example above shows that the Cycle Time has exceeded the KPI Target of 3 days. Hovering over the metric shows the set target.
How do I set the KPI Targets for Engineering Metrics?
Head over to Settings > Engineering > KPI Targets and you can see the list of KPIs that you can set targets for.
NOTE: Only users with "Org Admin" or "Engineering Admin" credentials have access to this.
Example of setting the Cycle Time KPI Target at the organization level
Once set, the KPI Targets will be used to determine the status of a metric. E.g., if the metric exceeds the target for a given period, then it will marked in red. The targets will also be used to add the threshold markers for charts where applicable.
Set targets for all KPIs? Looks like a lot of work 😱
Don’t worry, Axon works with some smart defaults that work as soon as you start. If you are not happy with the defaults, feel free to change them.
What about Team-level targets?
We have you covered there! Every team is different and you may want a different set of KPI targets for each, instead of forcing the organization-level targets on every team.
You can set the KPI Targets for each team from the same page. Just select the team and off you go.
Example of setting the KPI Target at a Team Level. It also shows how the new Target is updated in all the relevant Metrics pages.
By default, each team will inherit the organization-level KPI Targets, so you will never start with a blank slate. Whenever you change the KPI Targets for a team, it will maintain its own set of targets from that point on.
FAQs
Which KPIs can I set targets for?
At this time, you can set targets for all DORA Metrics, max. Pull Request Size, min. Planning Efficiency, max. Review Time, max. First Engagement Time, etc.
We are constantly adding new KPIs to Axon. And don't worry - every new KPI will come with a smart default!
Can I set KPI Targets for individuals?
What happens if I create a new team?