Commit Velocity Benchmark Numbers: The Thresholds Behind a Startup Acceleration Signal

Commit velocity is the raw throughput metric behind the acceleration signal, but the numbers only mean something inside the right windows and thresholds. This post spells out the 14-day and 28-day windows, the contributor floor, and how to read the percentage change without being fooled by low-base artifacts.

Key stats

14-day: Default commit-velocity window (the standard velocity read)

28-day: Longer window for enterprise and regulated sectors (smooths sprint-cycle artifacts)

5: Minimum contributor count for a credible acceleration read (suppresses single-author artifacts)

References

[1] Engineering Acceleration as a VC Deal Flow Signal: SSRN

[2] VC Deal Flow Signal Methodology: GitDealFlow

[3] GitHub REST API - Repository Statistics: GitHub Docs

[4] DORA - Accelerate State of DevOps Research: Google DORA