Merge Frequency Metric

Definition

Merge Frequency measures the total number of pull requests (PRs) merged within the selected time range.

It reflects how frequently code changes are successfully integrated into the main branch.

This metric includes all PR merge events within the selected repositories and filters.

How the Metric Is Calculated

Merge Frequency is calculated as:

Total number of PR merge events within the selected time range

In the dashboard, this value is normalized as: PRs per day

The headline value represents: Total merged PRs ÷ Number of days in the selected time range

This normalization allows comparison across different time ranges.

How the Metric Is Displayed in the Dashboard

The metric card displays two types of values:

1. Headline Value (e.g., 25.21 PRs per day)

The large number shown at the top represents the average number of PRs merged per day across the selected time range.

This is a daily average — not a total count.

2. Time-Based Values in the Chart

The line chart shows the number of PRs merged per time bucket (for example, per day).

Each point represents: The total number of PRs merged within that specific time bucket

Clicking a point displays:

• The number of PRs merged on that date

Daily bucket values do not average to produce the headline; the headline is calculated independently across the full selected range.

Why This Metric Is Useful

Merge Frequency provides visibility into:

• Delivery throughput
• Code integration cadence
• Review and approval efficiency
• Sprint execution patterns

Sustained increases may indicate:

• Healthy review cycles
• Efficient collaboration
• Active feature delivery

Sudden drops may indicate:

• Review bottlenecks
• Deployment freezes
• Workflow disruptions

How to Interpret Merge Frequency

Merge Frequency measures integration activity, not development effort.

It should be interpreted alongside:

• PRs Opened
• PR Size
• Cycle Time
• Review Depth
• PRs Merged Without Review

High merge frequency does not necessarily indicate large delivery volume; it may reflect smaller PRs.

Context matters — team size, sprint timing, and release strategy influence this metric.

Data Sources

Derived from:

• Pull Request merge events
• Repository-level filters
• Branch inclusion/exclusion rules

Tunable Configurations

Merge Frequency may be influenced by:

• Repository filters
• Branch inclusion/exclusion rules
• Automated merge processes
• Service account merges

Limitations

• Measures merge count, not impact.
• Large and small PRs are weighted equally.
• Emergency or trivial merges may inflate counts.
• Does not measure code quality.
• Small datasets may produce volatility.

Merge Frequency reflects integration cadence, not delivery value.

Stakeholder Use Cases

Engineering Managers

• Monitor integration throughput trends.
• Detect review or approval bottlenecks.
• Evaluate delivery consistency across teams.

Team Leads

• Track merge cadence within sprints.
• Identify workflow slowdowns before release deadlines.
• Balance PR volume with review capacity.

Developers

• Understand integration pace.
• Detect delays between PR submission and merge.

Product Leadership

• Monitor delivery flow relative to roadmap milestones.
• Detect changes in execution velocity.