Commits Metric

Definition

The Commits Metric is the total number of commits made in a given period.

Why is This metric useful?

• This metric indicates the volume of development activity and team output.
• Tracks developer activity – Track commit frequency across teams and repositories.
• Identifies coding trends – Detect fluctuations in commit volume over sprints or releases.
• Supports workflow analysis – Understand how commit frequency aligns with code reviews and deployements
• Identify bottlenecks – Compare commit trends against PR cycle times and deployment frequency.
• Improve collaboration – Ensure commits align with team workflows and sprint goals.

By leveraging LinearB’s Commits Metric, teams can gain actionable insights into development workflows, improve engineering efficiency, and ensure a balanced commit strategy. .

How to Use it?

• Track commit counts to monitor individual or team productivity trends.
• A balanced commit cadence helps maintain code quality and stability.
• High commit frequency may indicate incremental progress, while sudden spikes could result from bulk merges or rushed changes
• High commit volume could result from frequent minor changes, debugging, or CI/CD updates rather than substantial progress.
• A low number of commits does not necessarily means a team is underperforming. Some teams commit larger, well-tested changes rather than pushing frequent updates.

  

Examples for Context

• Consistent commit patterns correlated with stable delivery schedule.

Data Sources

• Repository commit logs.

Calculation

• Total number of commits in a given period.

Tunable Configurations

• Inclusion of specific branches or contributors.

Benchmarking Guidance

• Regular commit frequency is a sign of healthy collaboration
• High-performing teams typically commit multiple times per day, ensuring incremental progress.
• Teams with long-lived branches may commit less frequently, but with larger, more structured changes.
• Extreme commit spikes could signal bulk merges or emergency fixes, warranting further inspection.

🔗 Learn about LinearB’s benchmarking methodology

Error Margins and Limitations

• Commit quality may vary significantly
• The number of commits alone does not indicate quality or efficiency. Instead, it should be assessed alongside PR size, review depth, and rework rates for a complete picture.

Stakeholder Use Cases

• Developers: Track personal contribution patterns.
• Managers: Monitor workload distribution.