MTTR (Mean Time to Recovery) Metric

Definition

The MTTR (Mean Time to Recovery) Metric measures the time an issue spends in the "In Progress" state. The calculation of this time depends on the issue start time strategy configured (e.g., first or last transition to "In Progress"). An issue is classified as an MTTR issue if it matches the filters defined at the team or organization level.

Why is This Metric Useful?

• Critical for assessing system reliability and resilience.

How to Use it?

• Identify patterns in incident recovery and improve response processes.

Examples for Context

• Reducing MTTR from 8 hours to 2 hours minimized downtime impact.

Data Sources

• Incident logs, deployment events.

Calculation

• The time a "production bug" spends in the "in progress" state.
• By default, LinearB includes all issues classified as Bugs in this metric. With a paid LinearB subscription, you can customize what qualifies as a production bug under Company Settings > Project Management > Incidents. You can refine the issues included in your MTTR calculation based on the following criteria:
  • Issue Types
  • Labels
  • Custom Field Values
  Additionally, you can combine multiple criteria using AND and OR logic to tailor the selection.

Click Add Condition to add an additional OR criteria.

Customize MTTR Start and End Time

• By default, LinearB measures the time from when an issue identifying a production failure is set to "In Progress" until it transitions out of the "In Progress" state.
• Utilize any custom date field in your issues to track and measure the start and end times of critical issues. In the MTTR Duration section, specify the fields to be used for this purpose.

Incident API

LinearB's Incident API enables you to report change failure instances from any project management platform. For detailed guidance on using the Incident API, refer to the LinearB Incident API documentation.

Viewing MTTR by Team

LinearB also provides the capability to calculate MTTR on a team basis. The calculation relies on the conditions defined in your organization settings (e.g., Issue Type, Label, Field) and applies additional filters based on the team board configuration in team settings.

Tunable Configurations

• Definition of "production bug".

Benchmarking Guidance

• Effective teams maintain MTTR under 1 hour.

Error Margins and Limitations

• Delayed reporting or incomplete logs may skew results.

Stakeholder Use Cases

• DevOps: Optimize incident response.
• Managers: Monitor system reliability.