Metrics for personal and professional development - DevOps Guidance

Metrics for personal and professional development

  • Employee net promoter score (eNPS): Measure employees' engagement and satisfaction within the organization, gauging their likelihood to recommend the organization as an ideal workplace. This can provide insight into the overall health of the organizational culture and indicates the effectiveness of leadership in creating an inclusive and positive work environment. A higher eNPS can correlate with better productivity, lower turnover, and improved team dynamics. Track using periodic, anonymized net promoter score surveys that require no more that 5–7 minutes to complete. Subtract the percentage of detractors (those who score 0–6) from promoters (those who score 9–10) to get the eNPS value. Neutral scores (7–8) can be ignored.

  • Meetup frequency: The frequency of inter-team knowledge-sharing sessions, such as skills guild meetings, internal conferences, or Lunch and Learns, held within a specific period, such as monthly or quarterly. A consistent frequency of meetups indicates active collaboration, knowledge transfer, and a vibrant sharing environment among teams. Track each knowledge-sharing session in a dedicated log or system. At the end of your tracking period, tally the total number of sessions.

  • Retention rate: The percentage of team members that remain with the organization over a specific time frame, such as quarterly or yearly. A high retention rate suggests a positive organizational culture, employee satisfaction, and effective professional development initiatives. It also signals stability, which can have positive impacts on business continuity, team dynamics, and retaining top talent. Begin by noting the total number of team members at the start of your tracking period. Then, at the end of this time frame, note the number of team members who have left the organization during that period. To determine the retention rate, subtract the percentage of team members who have left from 100%. For example, if 10 out of 100 team members left over a year, then the retention rate would be 90% for that year. Regularly monitor and compare these rates over different time frames to identify trends and areas for improvement.

  • Skill growth rate: The improvement in employees' skills over a specified period, which indicates the effectiveness of personal and professional development initiatives and an organizational emphasis on continuous learning and growth. Improve this metric by allocating budget and time to dedicated learning activities, setting individual learning goals, and rewarding continuous growth. Use tools such as skill assessments, certifications, or self-assessments to track skill improvements over time.