“Time to X” — metrics your team should track
Being part of a technology organization, you’re undoubtedly aware of the importance of metrics to guide decisions, track progress, and measure success. While there’s an abundance of possible measurements, I want to focus today on a few of them: Time to Market (TTM), Time to Scale (TTS) and Time to Signal (TTSi). Let’s dig in!
Understanding Time to Market (TTM)
Time to Market is the amount of time it takes from a product’s conception to its actual launch. It’s like the stopwatch that starts ticking when the first lightbulb moment occurs and only stops once the product is in the hands of users.
Why is TTM important? Because it helps you gauge your team’s agility and efficiency. A shorter TTM can mean a better competitive edge: it’s like getting a head-start in a marathon. It gives you the chance to grab market share, learn from real-world feedback, and iterate faster.
Imagine you’re developing a new feature for your mobile app that allows users to shop using augmented reality. If you’re able to go from ideation to release faster than your competitors, you get to delight your users with this new feature, while your competitors are still drafting their blueprints.
However, remember that faster is not always better. You don’t want to sacrifice quality for speed.
The goal is not just to deliver fast, but to deliver “value” fast.
To improve TTM, start with visibility. Break down your product development cycle and map out each step, from ideation to launch. This will help you identify any bottlenecks or inefficiencies. Perhaps your design phase is taking longer than expected or maybe you’re getting snagged in the QA process.
Next, create a culture of lean thinking. Encourage your team to focus on building the Minimal Viable Product (MVP) first. This approach means getting a basic version of the product to market quickly, then iterating based on user feedback. This not only improves TTM but also helps avoid over-engineering.
Time to Scale (TTS)
Next up, Time to Scale. TTS measures the time it takes for a product to move from its initial launch to its full-scale operation. Think of it as the sequel to TTM: the product is out the door, but now you need to ramp up for more users or expand to new markets.
A lower TTS means that you can seize market opportunities more quickly, handling an influx of users with grace and without downtime or degradation in service quality. Let’s say your app’s new augmented reality feature becomes wildly popular overnight (thanks to your fantastic TTM!). If your TTS is low, you can quickly handle this spike in demand and maintain a smooth user experience.
To improve TTS, pay close attention to your infrastructure. Can it handle sudden increases in demand? Do you have processes in place to ramp up resources quickly? Cloud-based solutions often provide excellent scalability and can be a good place to start.
Also, consider using techniques like load testing to simulate high demand and identify potential bottlenecks. This way, you’ll be prepared when it’s time to scale.
Time to Signal (TTSi)
Time to Signal (TTSi) is another powerful metric (and my favorite one) that measures the time it takes to receive meaningful signal after a product or feature launch. This signal could be user feedback, usage data, or any relevant indication that tells you how well the feature or product is performing.
Shortening your TTSi enables faster learning cycles and quicker iterations, ultimately leading to products that align better with user needs and market trends.
To leverage and implement TTSi effectively, set up robust monitoring and data collection to capture user behaviors, feedback, and interactions from the moment of release. Pair this with an analytics system to decipher these signals into actionable insights. For instance, if you notice an increase in customer support tickets related to a new feature, that’s a strong signal that something might be amiss and needs immediate attention. A dashboard that visualizes these signals can help your team respond promptly. Cultivate a culture that values these signals as opportunities for learning and improvement, and encourages a swift, user-focused response. This way, you’ll be using TTSi to continuously refine your product based on real-world use, helping your team deliver an effective user experience.
A Winning Combination
TTM, TTS and TTSi together give you a holistic view of your product’s lifecycle, from conception to expansion. By tracking and improving these metrics, you can ensure that your team not just launches products quickly, but can also scale effectively when demand soars or pivot when it doesn’t.
Like most metrics, they’re not silver bullets. They’re tools to help you understand your team’s performance and identify areas of improvement. It’s all part of the ongoing journey towards building a high-performing software team.
Until next time, happy engineering!
The learning continues in…
- All chapters — The Engineering Manager’s Pocket Guide
- Chapter 4 — The Four Agreements for Cross-Functional Software Projects
- Chapter 5 — What Engineering Managers Can Do to Reduce Throw-Away Work
- Chapter 6 — Stakeholder Management For Engineering Leads
- Chapter 7 — One-way & Two-way Door Decisions
- Chapter 8 — From Busy to Productive: Time Management Tips for Engineering Managers
- Chapter 9 — Constructive Feedback Strategies Every Leader Should Know
- Chapter 10 — Leading vs. Managing in the Engineering World
- Chapter 11 — “Time to X” — metrics your team should track
If you have any thoughts or experiences to add, let me know! Respond to this post or let me know on LinkedIn. I’m happy to talk about anything software engineering related.
