Frequently asked questions
What GitHub metrics should an engineering manager track?
Start with merge throughput, lead time (open to merge), and review responsiveness (time to first human review) — normalized across teams on the same definitions. Add period-over-period attention for staff meetings. See the metrics glossary and GitHub metrics for managers guide.
What is the difference between DORA metrics and GitHub PR metrics?
Full DORA includes deployment frequency, lead time, change failure rate, and recovery time — often requiring CI/CD and incident data. GitHub PR metrics cover a PR-native subset: merge throughput, PR lead time, and revert-rate proxies. DeliveryCompass does not replace pipeline DORA. See DORA from GitHub and limitations.
How do I measure pull request flow across teams?
Compare median lead time, merge throughput, and review responsiveness per mapped team on the same date range. Look for review lag and uneven WIP as early bottlenecks. See PR flow for engineering teams and Team analytics.
What metrics should I bring to an engineering staff meeting?
Five metrics on consistent definitions: merge throughput, lead time, review responsiveness, team comparison, and attention vs the prior period. Use org rollup first, then weekly summary callouts. See staff meeting metrics.
How do engineering managers measure delivery without spreadsheets?
Use read-only GitHub PR metadata with opinionated KPIs — no manual exports or pivot tables before each review. Spreadsheets work for one team; they break when definitions drift across five. See delivery metrics without spreadsheets and choosing delivery metrics.
How long does setup take?
Account registration takes about a minute. With a valid GitHub token, baseline metrics usually appear on the dashboard within a few more minutes after you finish setup and map repos to teams.
Do you read or store our source code?
No. DeliveryCompass imports pull request and review statistics — timestamps, authors, line counts, and filenames for extension breakdowns. We do not download, store, or analyze source files, diffs, or commit content. See Statistics only — no source code for the full list.
Is this for tracking individual developers?
Yes. DeliveryCompass shows contributor-level metrics alongside teams so managers and leadership can prepare performance discussions with consistent GitHub-derived evidence.
How is this different from spreadsheets or BI tools?
We ship opinionated delivery KPIs (lead time, review responsiveness, merge throughput) normalized across teams, plus a weekly summary for managers. You do not design schemas, maintain ETL, or rebuild queries before every review.
Do we need to change our repos or CI/CD workflow?
No. DeliveryCompass reads GitHub activity and metadata with read-only access. No agents, webhooks, or pipeline changes.
How is our data handled?
Read-only GitHub scopes, encrypted credential storage, workspace-scoped access, and processing limited to onboarding and metrics import. See Data & privacy for more.
How do I connect GitHub?
During self-serve setup, add a read-only personal access token (read:org, repo scopes) on step 2 — or skip and connect later. Team names import from GitHub; you assign repositories on Teams & repos. See the setup guide for the full walkthrough.
What does the pilot cost?
Free during the Early Access pilot. No credit card required. See pricing for what is included, or manage your plan from Subscription after sign-in.
How do I sign in later?
Use the email and password you created during setup on the log in page. Your GitHub token is only used for data import, not for signing in.
Why are my team KPIs empty?
Team metrics only include repositories assigned to that team. Open Teams & repos and drag repositories onto team cards. See troubleshooting: missing team KPIs.
Dashboard empty or setup stuck?
See troubleshooting: empty dashboard for onboarding, import, and token checks.
Can’t log in or reset password?
Use forgot password with your work email — not your GitHub token. See troubleshooting: login issues.
Is there a DeliveryCompass Discord community?
Yes. DeliveryCompass runs a public Discord server for Early Access pilot feedback, product discussion, and peer support from other engineering managers. Join at discord.gg/QhHyfNaGqr or see About — Community.
Why is yesterday’s data missing?
GitHub data refreshes on a daily schedule (about every 24 hours), not in real time. Merges and reviews from the last day may not appear until the next sync. See sync schedule.
Can my teammate log in to the same org?
Not in the pilot. Each account owns one organization workspace; there is no invite or shared login. If someone already registered your GitHub org name, you cannot access their data. See accounts & access.
How is this different from other engineering metrics tools?
We focus on GitHub PR delivery KPIs and manager staff-meeting rituals — not full portfolio DORA or Jira integration. See choosing delivery metrics for how approaches compare.
Is this a solo workspace during the pilot?
Yes. One account per organization workspace — no invites or shared seats. See accounts & access.
How long does the first import take?
Bootstrap runs in the background after setup. Small orgs often see data within minutes; large histories can take longer. Org metrics may appear before team KPIs if repos are not mapped yet.
How do you handle contributor privacy?
We show GitHub usernames and delivery metrics your org already has in GitHub. We do not import source code. Use attention signals for coaching, not stack ranking — see attention signals.
What are Snapshots?
Snapshots compare two stored weekly summaries side by side — useful for retros after you have a few weeks of data.
Do you send email?
Yes — optional welcome email on signup and Sunday weekly digest. Manage toggles on Email preferences or Profile.
Where are attention signals?
On Weekly summary and in the Sunday digest — not on the Overview dashboard. See attention signals in the glossary.
What are chart milestones?
Vertical markers on delivery trend charts for GitHub releases, semver tags, and manual events you add (launches, incidents). They annotate charts only — they do not change KPI numbers. See the Chart milestones guide.
How do I mark a release or launch on a delivery chart?
GitHub releases and v*.*.* tags sync automatically after daily import. For launches without a release, create a custom type and manual marker on Chart milestones. Full walkthrough: Chart milestones guide.