Beyond Metrics: How KPIs Drive Lens’s Engineering Evolution

In the world of software development, it’s often said that what gets measured gets managed. But at Lens, we’re not interested in just managing—we’re aiming to redefine how teams can push the boundaries of what’s possible with Kubernetes. As we build and enhance our tools for developers and operators, we’re focusing on understanding and refining engineering Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that drive our mission to bring clarity, beauty, productivity, and situational awareness to cloud-native development.

Why KPIs Matter in Engineering

KPIs are more than just metrics; they are the pulse of our engineering teams. They help us understand whether we’re moving in the right direction, delivering value, and meeting the expectations of the developers who rely on Lens every day. With Lens, our goal is to strike the perfect balance between speed, quality, and impact. Our KPIs aren’t just numbers—they tell a story of how we’re transforming the Kubernetes experience.

But here’s the challenge: we’re not just here to tick boxes. We’re setting ambitious goals, and we’re willing to confront tough truths. Will our KPIs reveal a path to the next level of growth, or will they challenge us to rethink everything we thought we knew about our approach?

The KPIs We Are Aiming to Track at Lens

• Sprint Velocity: Measures the amount of work completed in each sprint, usually tracked in story points or tasks. This helps us assess whether we’re delivering value at the pace we need to meet our aspirations. It’s not about speed for speed’s sake—it’s about building momentum that inspires.
• Backlog Health: Tracks the ratio of backlog items completed versus new items created during a sprint. A healthy backlog reflects our ability to manage complexity and adapt to evolving needs—because in the Kubernetes world, change is the only constant.
• Code Quality Metrics: Includes static code analysis results, number of bugs reported, and severity of issues. This helps us maintain the high standards our users deserve, while reducing technical debt that could slow down future innovation.
• Mean Time to Recovery (MTTR): Measures the average time taken to recover from a failure in the production environment. In a cloud-native ecosystem, resilience is everything—MTTR is our measure of how quickly we can bounce back and continue delivering.
• Team Satisfaction: We’re building a product that developers love, and that starts with a team that loves building it. Regular surveys help us gauge morale and engagement, ensuring that we maintain a culture where creativity and excellence thrive.
• Labor Cost: Tracks the total labor cost for each task or project. But more than just dollars and cents, this KPI is about ensuring we’re investing our time, energy, and resources where they matter most—on initiatives that bring the most value to our users.
• Work Breakdown by Segment: Tracks how time and resources are allocated across different types of work, such as new feature development, bug fixes, and maintenance. This helps us ensure that we’re investing in a balance of innovation and stability—never sacrificing one for the other.

Learning from KPIs to Shape Our Processes

KPIs aren’t just retrospective—they’re proactive tools that guide us to continuous improvement. For instance, if our MTTR is longer than we’d like, it’s an opportunity to deepen our incident response processes and bolster our resilience. When backlog health starts slipping, we know it’s time to recalibrate and refocus on what’s essential.

The magic of these KPIs isn’t just in the numbers—they’re in the actions we take as a result. When we dig into the story behind each metric, we discover how to fine-tune our processes, eliminate friction, and amplify the impact of our work.The challenge for us is to prove that Lens can serve not only as an essential tool for developers but also as a platform that delivers measurable business outcomes for enterprise stakeholders. That means moving beyond feature-centric development to outcome-driven engineering—improving developer productivity, reducing downtime, and enhancing security and compliance.

What’s Next?

Engineering KPIs are not static—they are the living heartbeat of our development process. As Lens continues to grow, our metrics will evolve too. We’ll keep experimenting, keep adjusting, and keep learning. The mission is bigger than numbers: it’s about bringing clarity and simplicity to Kubernetes, transforming the experience for the entire community—from individual developers to enterprise stakeholders.

But here’s where things get interesting—these KPIs are merely the opening chapter. What lies ahead? Will these metrics validate our approach, or challenge us to pivot into new territory? One thing’s for sure: the insights we uncover won’t just drive the future of Lens—they’ll redefine how we think about engineering success in the Kubernetes landscape.

Stay tuned. This journey is just beginning, and the road ahead is full of possibilities that we’re excited to explore—with you.