The Evolution of Software Delivery Performance: A Deep Dive into State of DevOps(Dora) Report from 2020 to 2024
8 min read
Table of Contents
- Quick Comparison Table: State of DevOps Reports 2020-2024 (Dora Reports)
- The Rise of Core Dora Metrics (2020-2021)
- Dora Report 2022: Resilience Amid Rising Challenges
- The AI Shift: Productivity and Complexity (2023)
- 2024 Dora Report Unveiled: From AI Risks to Resilience Over Speed
- Year-over-Year Dora Report on Software Delivery Performance
- FAQs
- 2. What major trends in software delivery performance were observed in the Dora Reports from 2020 to 2024?
- 3. How has the adoption of AI in software development impacted delivery performance according to the 2024 Dora Report?
- 4. What role does platform engineering play in software delivery performance?
- 5. Why is documentation becoming more crucial for software delivery teams?
- 6. What is the purpose of Dora?
Over the past few years, the Dora Reports have acted as a compass for engineering managers, guiding top-performing software teams in optimizing and innovating. From core DevOps metrics to integrating AI and platform engineering, the Dora reports from 2020 through 2024 paint a vivid picture of the evolving landscape in software delivery performance. Let’s explore the shifts in priorities, practices, and metrics over the last five years.
Also read: What are Dora Metrics?
Quick Comparison Table: State of DevOps Reports 2020-2024 (Dora Reports)
| Year | Focus | Key Metrics | Key Findings | Emerging Themes |
| 2020 | Traditional DevOps Metrics | Deployment Frequency, Lead Time, Change Failure Rate, Time to Restore Service | Emphasis on DevOps maturity; elite teams perform multiple daily deployments | DevOps adoption, CI/CD focus |
| 2021 | DevOps Performance and Culture | Same as 2020 | Culture and collaboration highlighted as essential | Team collaboration and culture |
| 2022 | Resilience and Operational Efficiency | Same as 2020 with new insights on cultural practices | Expanded on resilience, added focus on cloud and operational stability | Resilience, hybrid cloud |
| 2023 | Integration of Emerging Tech (AI, Platform Engineering) | Core metrics, plus AI adoption impact | AI improved productivity but introduced complexities | AI adoption, team structure evolution |
| 2024 | AI, Platform Engineering, and Developer Experience | Core metrics, Rework Rate to understand CFR(quasi-metric) plus impact of AI and platform engineering | Developer experience and leadership critical in high-performing teams | Platform engineering, transformational leadership |
The Rise of Core Dora Metrics (2020-2021)
In 2020, the Dora report underscored the significance of four foundational metrics: Deployment Frequency, Lead Time for Changes, Change Failure Rate, and Time to Restore Service.
Elite performers were deploying code multiple times daily, whereas lower-performing teams lagged with monthly deployments, illustrating a clear performance gap. This year’s focus was primarily on traditional DevOps principles, pushing for standardized CI/CD pipelines that would yield consistent, stable releases.
Source: Google Cloud
By 2021, the Dora report began emphasizing the importance of organizational culture and team collaboration, marking a subtle shift from solely performance-driven metrics. Elite teams not only had better tech but also better teamwork, demonstrating the value of a robust, collaborative culture.
Our two cents: The 2020-2021 period appeared like a period for consolidation. Dora set clear performance expectations, pushing organizations to adopt DevOps practices while embedding these principles into their team culture.
Also read: Middleware: Open-Source DORA Metrics for a Smoother Engineering Flow
Dora Report 2022: Resilience Amid Rising Challenges
In 2022, Dora pivoted towards resilience and operational efficiency. With the pandemic still impacting global workflows, cloud infrastructure, and hybrid environments became critical for teams to stay scalable and resilient. The report highlighted resilience as a top priority, noting how organizations adapted to new work dynamics and the importance of operational efficiency in unpredictable environments.
The resilience theme of 2022 underscored that delivery performance isn't just about deployment speed—it’s also about how well a system withstands pressure and remains stable.
The AI Shift: Productivity and Complexity (2023)
In 2023, the focus shifted as AI adoption took center stage, with over 70% of teams incorporating AI into their workflows.
AI played a significant role in boosting productivity, particularly in code generation and automation, but also led to slower deployment throughput due to more complex code changes.
Teams valued the productivity boost but wrestled with AI-related complexities, especially in assessing the quality of AI-generated code, which impacted Change Failure Rates.
AI adoption became a double-edged sword. Teams appreciated the productivity gains, but AI also brought new layers of complexity. AI felt like a disruptive innovation—promising, but in need of refinement to align with DevOps demands.
Also read: Open Source AI: What’s the hype around it? Everything you need to know about it
2024 Dora Report Unveiled: From AI Risks to Resilience Over Speed
The 2024 report reveals a landscape of evolving priorities, emphasizing the importance of balancing risk and resilience over pure speed. Elite teams showed stability, yet the gap between high and low performers widened, likely due to economic challenges. Notably, change failure rates became a focus, with elite teams aiming to minimize rework and avoid excessive patching. This shift reflects an emphasis on getting things right the first time, rather than rushing deployments.
Key insights from the 2024 report include the growing role of AI in software development, with over 75% of developers now leveraging it. However, skepticism remains, especially with larger AI-generated code batches that streamline processes yet introduce higher risks.
According to IBM's Global AI Adoption Index, around 38% of businesses have adopted Generative AI, while 42% are still exploring it.
The 2024 report also highlights AI’s impact on CI/CD pipelines, noting that about 50.2% of respondents now use AI tools within these processes.
Platform engineering is another area where the DORA 2024 report introduced interesting data. Curiously, it mentions that the presence of a dedicated platform team had a minor effect on individual productivity, but it boosted team productivity by 6%. This distinction implies that platform teams, while helpful to individuals, significantly benefit entire teams. Since teams consist of members with varied skills and responsibilities, they handle a broader spectrum of tasks than a single developer, and a platform team may help them better manage this diversity.
For instance, Spotify’s internal developer platform, Backstage, exemplifies this trend by consolidating tools into a single hub that reduces setup time but can probably introduce friction for heavily platform-dependent teams.
Also, 2024’s emphasis on developer experience feels well-timed. Burnout and developer well-being are becoming central concerns, with transformational leadership now crucial in balancing speed, innovation, and stability. Leadership must prioritize empathy and strategic insight to navigate the AI-driven future.
Year-over-Year Dora Report on Software Delivery Performance
Here’s a quick overview of elite teams’ performance metrics from 2020 to 2024, showing improvements across key areas of software delivery:
Year | Lead Time for Changes | Deployment Frequency | Change Failure Rate | Failure Recovery Time |
2020 | 106x faster | 124x more frequent | 7x lower | 2,604x faster |
2021 | 116x faster | 138x more frequent | 6x lower | 2,878x faster |
2022 | 120x faster | 145x more frequent | 7x lower | 2,979x faster |
2023 | 123x faster | 168x more frequent | 8x lower | 2,195x faster |
2024 | 127x faster | 182x more frequent | 8x lower | 2,293x faster |
Looking Ahead: Balancing Innovation, Stability, and Well-Being in DevOps for 2025 and Beyond
From 2020 to 2024, the Dora reports tell the story of a maturing DevOps ecosystem where priorities have evolved alongside technological advancements. We’ve journeyed from a focus on foundational metrics to a nuanced understanding that includes AI, platform engineering, and the people who make DevOps possible.
Moving into 2025, the challenge will be to balance innovation with stability, speed with security, and automation with developer well-being. High performance in software delivery is no longer just about metrics; it’s about adaptability, culture, and a holistic ecosystem that supports both technical and human needs.
If you are also looking to improve your software delivery performance, sign up with Middleware today! Middleware offers you visibility into your engineering pipeline, the right data, and actionable insights to unclog bottlenecks and ensure smooth software delivery.
FAQs
1. What is the Dora Report, and why is it significant in tracking software delivery performance?
The Dora Report is an annual industry-standard report that provides insights into software delivery performance metrics, like deployment frequency, lead time, change failure rate, and mean time to recovery. It’s widely respected for setting benchmarks and identifying best practices that help teams improve their efficiency, stability, and overall performance.
2. What major trends in software delivery performance were observed in the Dora Reports from 2020 to 2024?
From 2020 to 2024, the Dora Reports have highlighted several trends, such as the rise of elite performers, shifts in change failure rates, and the impact of economic pressures on team performance. Additionally, recent reports emphasize the role of AI in software delivery, the pros and cons of platform engineering, and the challenges of managing increased batch sizes in deployment.
3. How has the adoption of AI in software development impacted delivery performance according to the 2024 Dora Report?
The 2024 Dora Report notes that while AI adoption is high, with about 76% of developers using it, trust in AI-generated code remains moderate. Additionally, larger batch sizes introduced by AI have led to increased complexity in deployments, potentially impacting delivery stability and highlighting the need for human oversight.
4. What role does platform engineering play in software delivery performance?
Platform engineering, according to the latest Dora Report, is beneficial for team-wide productivity, though it can introduce friction and decrease throughput if not effectively tailored to team needs.
5. Why is documentation becoming more crucial for software delivery teams?
The 2024 Dora Report stresses that quality documentation is essential for keeping teams aligned, especially as members change over time. Effective documentation reduces onboarding time, helps teams identify areas for improvement, and ensures consistency across workflows—making it a vital component in DORA’s continuous improvement focus.
6. What is the purpose of Dora?
The purpose of Dora is to help organizations enhance software delivery capabilities by identifying, measuring, and improving key DevOps metrics. Dora’s research-based framework provides insights into how high-performing teams achieve faster delivery, lower failure rates, and quicker recovery times. Its main aim is to guide engineering teams toward optimized DevOps practices that boost productivity, reduce risks, and enable quick adaptation to market demands.