Trend Analysis | Index Monitors (professional edition)
Gain insight from index monitors and trend lines
The Trends section is designed for users who want to perform big-picture analysis. In this section, we use Index Monitors to deliver a score from 1 to 100 that shows how an area of development has trended over time. Treno comes equipped with Index Monitors that measure delivery speed, output, quality, and developer health. The higher the score, the more efficient or effective the delivery.
Understanding Index Monitors
To use Index Monitors, it is important to understand how their indexes are calculated. The indexes are synthetic metrics that blend the attainment of multiple individual metrics into a single, easy-to-understand number. Up to six metrics can be combined to create the index score for each monitor. Each of the included metrics has its attainment rated to determine if it is performing at an elite, high, medium, or low level. These ratings were determined by surveying and analyzing the delivery efficiency of hundreds of software development organizations. The top 15% were designated Elite, and the bottom 15% were considered Low. High and Medium were somewhere in between. The monitor then uses the weighted attainment average of each included metric to create the 0 to 100 rating.
Unveiling the Trend
The result is a trend line that can be compared to the baseline. A baseline represents the "normal" performance for each Index area and is calculated using three months of data, refreshed every quarter. Comparing an index to its baseline allows Treno to spot items that are moving in the wrong direction. Additionally, the user can overlay the ratings for the monitor to quickly see if the measured area of delivery is Elite, High, Medium, or Low.
Insights from Trends
Trends provide an at-a-glance view on the speed, quality, output, and developer health. If things are going well, it should be expected that the Index trend line would be very close to the baseline. Slightly above or below is usually fine and acceptable. Fluctuations are to be expected, but a consistent downward (below the baseline) or upward (above the baseline) trend usually merits a more detailed analysis.
To perform that detailed analysis, follow these steps:
Step 1: Spot when the trend line started its consistent upward or downward march.
Step 2: Set the time period of the chart so that the inflection point is in the middle of the chart.
Step 3: View the monitor's included metrics, located below the chart.
Step 4: Look for the metric or metrics that are moving in a similar direction to the index line. These metrics are more than likely to be the reason the overall index is moving. Clicking on the metric(s) will open up the analysis chart.
Step 5: To determine if a more serious issue is causing the metric's poor performance, it is recommended that you:
View the Actuals to see if any of the daily performance appears to be out of the norm. If so, click on that day in the bar chart and view the issues or reviews that may be the cause of your issue.
View the Rolling Average chart and see where the trend line crosses the baseline notification. Click on the related metrics to view metrics that influence the primary metric that you are reviewing. Overlaying the rolling average for these metrics can reveal the root cause of any delivery issues.
By following these analysis steps, you can use the Trends section of Treno to gain valuable insights into your SDLC's performance and identify areas that require attention or improvement.