MergeMeter Articles and Engineering Metrics Field Notes

Engineering metrics without vanity charts

Practical writing on engineering metrics, operational tradeoffs, and measurement design for leaders who need signal they can actually use.

March 7, 2026 · Bobby Lough

The Flashlight Metric: How Pull Request Throughput Illuminates Engineering Flow

Pull Request Throughput is the simplest, most powerful engineering metric you are probably not tracking. Learn why it should be the foundation of every engineering leader's metric playbook and how it illuminates whether work is actually flowing through your team.

Engineering Metrics
Leadership
Developer Productivity