IT Revolution Press (book) · 2018
Accelerate: The Science of Lean Software and DevOps
Nicole Forsgren, Jez Humble, Gene Kim
What this paper is
Accelerate (Forsgren, Humble, and Kim, 2018) published the DORA research: four metrics, deployment frequency, lead time for changes, change failure rate, and time to restore, empirically predict software delivery and organizational performance. It is the canonical evidence base for measuring engineering velocity, which is what our deal-flow signals track.
Abstract summary
Documents the multi-year DevOps Research and Assessment (DORA) research showing that four metrics, deployment frequency, lead time for changes, change failure rate, and mean time to recovery, empirically predict software-organization performance. Establishes the empirical foundation for engineering-velocity measurement as a research discipline.
Our summary in our own words, see the canonical source links below for the original abstract.
Why we cite this paper
Accelerate is the foundational empirical reference for the engineering-velocity measurement field. Our Code-Side Sourcing methodology operates on the same empirical premise, that publicly observable engineering activity (commit velocity, contributor influx, repo creation pulse) carries predictive signal about venture outcomes. The DORA research established the academic-level credibility for engineering-velocity measurement that our /methodology paper extends to the venture-finance domain.
Where this matters for deal flow
Key findings
- 1Four key metrics (deployment frequency, lead time, change failure rate, MTTR) empirically predict software-organization performance.
- 2High-performing organizations deploy 200× more frequently than low performers with 100× shorter lead times.
- 3Speed and stability are not opposed, high performers deliver faster AND with fewer failures.
- 4Engineering-velocity measurement is a quantitative discipline with predictive empirical foundations.
Canonical sources
Related glossary terms
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the DORA research?▾
DevOps Research and Assessment, multi-year research by Nicole Forsgren and colleagues documenting that four metrics (deployment frequency, lead time, change failure rate, MTTR) predict software-organization performance. The annual State of DevOps Report is a continued output of this research line.
How does this relate to Code-Side Sourcing?▾
Code-Side Sourcing extends the engineering-velocity-measurement premise from internal organizational performance (DORA's framing) to external venture-stage outcome prediction. See /code-side-sourcing and /methodology for the connection.
What are the four DORA metrics?▾
Deployment frequency, lead time for changes, change failure rate, and mean time to recovery (MTTR). Together they empirically predict software-organization performance.
Is Accelerate a peer-reviewed paper or a book?▾
Accelerate is a 2018 book (IT Revolution Press) summarizing the multi-year DORA research program; the underlying State of DevOps research continues as an annual report. We cite it as the empirical foundation of the engineering-velocity field.
See who is building on this, before the round prices it in
We track engineering acceleration across the Developer Tools and Data Analytics sectors this paper informs: commit velocity, contributor influx, and repo-creation pulse, surfacing breakout teams 21 to 47 days before the fundraise is public.
Five breakout startups, every Sunday, before the round gets crowded
The free Acceleration Watch: five venture-backed teams accelerating on the engineering signal, translated into plain English, 21 to 47 days before the deck circulates. No code-reading, no card.
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Read our own methodology paper
Code-Side Sourcing methodology, replicable on the open dataset.
Read /methodologyRelated papers
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