Overview
Most engineering teams know their developers are busy but not what they’re busy with. Without visibility, leaders struggle to answer questions like:
- Are we focusing on the right priorities?
- Are we planning proactively or just reacting to maintenance work?
- Are our investments driving long-term business impact?
The Engineering Investment and Investment Profile reports in DevStats help answer these questions. They show how engineering effort is distributed across key categories, from innovation to maintenance, and make it easy to see whether that balance supports your strategy.
The Balance Framework
This model is based on the Balance Framework, introduced by Matt Eccleston,
former VP of Engineering at Dropbox. He developed it to help fast-growing teams explain where their engineering time goes, connect investment to impact, and create alignment across the company.
The framework divides engineering work into four categories:
| Category | Description | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Keep the Lights On | Maintenance, bug fixes, hotfixes, customer support | Fixing defects, uptime tasks, dependency updates |
| Improve Things | Enhancements and refinements to existing functionality | Performance improvements, usability updates |
| New Things | New features, products, or capabilities | Launching new modules or integrations |
| Productivity | Internal improvements that pay off later | Refactors, CI/CD, test automation, reducing tech debt |
The goal isn’t to hit perfect ratios. It’s to make investment visible and align it with what matters most.
Why It Matters
Dropbox originally used this framework to make engineering investments transparent and strategic. Instead of debating headcount or project lists, teams could discuss trade-offs clearly:
- Are we spending too much on KTLO work?
- Should we dedicate time to Productivity to reduce maintenance?
- Are we innovating enough to stay competitive?
DevStats makes that same analysis simple and data-driven. By tracking how these categories evolve over time, leaders can plan proactively instead of reactively.
Using the Reports in DevStats
Engineering Investment Report
Shows how engineering time is distributed across the four Balance Framework categories.
You can filter by squad, time period, or repository to see trends and shifts in focus. Use this to start strategic conversations not just about how much work is getting done, but what kind of work is driving your results.
Investment Profile Report
Complements the previous view by showing actual deliverables.
You can see the number of features, enhancements, bug fixes, and hotfixesdelivered over a given period. It connects effort to outcomes and helps verify whether what’s being shipped matches business priorities.Practical Example
Imagine discovering that 30% of your team’s time is going to Keep the Lights On. That’s effort you assumed was driving new value, but it’s mostly maintaining existing systems.
With DevStats, this becomes clear instantly. You can track trends, forecast risks, and propose adjustments like dedicating a few sprints to Productivity work such as refactors or CI/CD improvements. This helps reduce maintenance load and reclaim time for innovation.
Strategic Alignment
The biggest advantage of this framework is shared understanding. It gives executives, product managers, and engineers a common language to talk about priorities, trade-offs, and goals.
In Dropbox, this approach replaced guesswork with meaningful planning discussions, and DevStats brings that same clarity to your organization.
Summary
DevStats helps teams understand how engineering time is truly invested and whether that investment supports strategic priorities. With clear visibility into effort distribution and delivered outcomes, leaders can identify imbalances, anticipate risks, and make more informed planning decisions. The Balance Framework becomes easy to apply in practice, enabling consistent alignment between engineering work and business goals.