AI in engineering

Do you really need another framework?

Where CAFE(S) fits with your existing measurement and evaluation stack.

Sep 30 • Brian Houck

Introducing CAFE(S): A framework for defining AI context quality

Five durable properties for evaluating the context we hand to AI agents.

Sep 24 • Brian Houck

Your agent doesn't have a model problem

The context problems humans have been quietly fixing for decades and what happens when agents inherit them.

Sep 16 • Brian Houck

AI accelerates output, not innovation

AI output explains 63% of developer time savings but shows a weak link to increased innovation ratio.

Sep 9 • Grace Fu

The quality paradox of AI-generated code

What a five-part definition of quality from 2020 tells us about software development in the age of AI.

Sep 2 • Brian Houck

Can “Predictable Delivery” be measured?

Five statistical techniques for turning delivery history into forecasting confidence.

Aug 21 • Brian Houck

Is there a relationship between cycle time and PR throughput?

There’s a closer relationship between the two in high-throughput organizations. In low-throughput organizations, there are other variables at play.

Aug 19 • Brian Houck and Grace Fu

“Your benchmarks don't apply to us"

Why benchmark trends matter more than you think.

Aug 14 • Brian Houck

DX Annual 2027: San Francisco and London

Next year DX Annual is returning to San Francisco and heading to London for the first time. Here's what to expect and how to register your interest.

Aug 11 • Justin Reock, Brian Houck, and Abi Noda

What are code reviews even for?

AI didn't break code review. It just made the parts we'd been ignoring impossible to ignore.

Aug 5 • Brian Houck

The unexpected things developer metrics can measure

We built metrics to evaluate developer tools. They turned out to explain everything from office design to Daylight Saving Time.

Jul 31 • Brian Houck

Measuring the impact of AI coding tools: Capacity, not horsepower

Separate what to measure from how, then measure across dimensions.

Jul 29 • Brian Houck

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