Direct Main Commit Dev Day Ratio (DMR)
Direct Main Commit Dev Day Ratio (DMR) tracks the proportion of development effort attributed to commits made directly on the main branch, bypassing a pull-request workflow. It highlights how often developers skip reviews or feature branches and helps surface the risk of unsupervised code changes.
Calculation
DMR is typically reported weekly or per sprint based on minware’s Time Model. Here, Dev Days include coding time attributed to main-branch commits or merged via pull request.
The ratio is calculated as:
DMR = dev days from direct main commits ÷ total dev days × 100
Goals
DMR helps teams detect instances where code changes are not reviewed and may introduce risk. A low DMR indicates that most effort flows through PRs; a high DMR suggests bypassing recommended workflows. It answers questions like:
- How often are developers bypassing PR workflows?
- Is there drift toward unreviewed main-branch commits?
- Do integration safeguards appear enforced or being bypassed?
Tracking DMR ensures teams maintain a trusted, collaborative flow and can identify when norms are shifting, often before failures occur.
Variations
DMR may also be referred to as Mainline Commit Ratio or Unreviewed Commit Share. Common ways to slice it include:
- By team or service to spot areas with low review discipline
- By developer to understand individual workflow patterns
- By commit type (e.g. bugfix vs. feature), especially if teams commit minor hotfixes directly
- By dev experience (e.g. new hire vs senior dev) to surface training or onboarding gaps
Some teams report separate ratios for urgent fixes—commits directly to main—versus routine change.
Limitations
DMR shows routing of development effort but not quality or intent. A direct commit may be a trivial typo fix or a risky unsupervised change. It also assumes accurate attribution of dev days via the time model.
To gain clarity, pair DMR with:
| Complementary Metric | Why It’s Relevant |
|---|---|
| Merge Success Rate | Shows whether bypassing PRs results in failed integrations |
| Review Latency | Helps evaluate whether PR wait times drive direct commits |
| Code Review Standards | Highlights whether policy is followed or being violated |
Optimization
Reducing DMR supports flow reliability and encourages code review discipline:
- Enforce branch protections. Prevent direct pushes to main except in emergency cases
- Improve Review Latency by setting SLAs and ensuring timely review cycles
- Encourage small direct commits for urgent fixes only. Use feature flags and CI rollback instead of bypassing the PR workflow
- Monitor DMR trends. Track weekly ratios to catch deviations before they become entrenched
- Educate on safe hotfix procedures. Make clear exceptions—such as urgent typos—so teams don’t default to bypassing PRs
DMR is a vital signal of review discipline. When it remains low, teams embrace quality and transparency. When it increases, it’s time to revisit workflow norms and tooling safeguards.
