Measuring AI’s impact with DX
Scott Hillman
Product Manager
Companies are allocating large budgets toward AI tools, driven by promises of transformational productivity increases. But how can companies quantify these gains themselves and measure the ROI of their AI investments? This guide shares practical tips for evaluating AI’s impact and demonstrates how DX enables you to draw meaningful connections between your investments and productivity metrics.
Measuring AI impact with DX
Self-reported time savings: a direct ROI measure
DX makes it easy to quantify time savings with pre-designed workflow metrics captured through DX Snapshots. This allows you to combine reported time savings with FTE costs to calculate dollar-value ROI. Use industry benchmarks and potential savings projections to paint a picture of what’s achievable.
Correlation to productivity metrics
While self-reported time savings provides a helpful signal, it doesn’t always tell a powerful story unless backed up by hard data. DX makes it easy to get hard data on how AI usage correlates to productivity metrics such as:
- PR throughput for productivity impact
- Developer Experience Index to show impact on developer experience
- Change fail percentage to ensure quality remains high
- Time spent on new capabilities to show that developers are recouping more time to spend on innovation
DX tools simplify the analysis of these correlations, while ensuring you focus on what truly matters, even when correlations don’t perfectly align.
Task-level details from PlatformX
Real-time experience sampling with PlatformX allows DX users to collect detailed data on specific tasks. This can provide concrete examples of time savings as well as surface impactful AI use cases, aiding in onboarding and developer training.
General tips for measuring AI’s business impact
Analyze data from wide sources
Impactful data isn’t always where you think it is. For example, while some organizations see PR throughput decline after implementing AI tools like copilot, this may actually reflect developers prioritizing quality over speed. DX removes the guesswork from this process with prebuilt views that surface data points from diverse sources, helping you identify patterns that matter.
Use survey and system metrics (DX gives you both)
Telemetry metrics, like PR throughput and cycle time, provide essential signals, but they only tell part of the story. Surveys complement these metrics by uncovering insights like how much time developers report saving or how specific workflows are performing.
With DX, you get the best of both worlds. Our tools integrate telemetry and survey data to give you a complete, nuanced picture of your AI impact.
Focus on storytelling
Raw data often isn’t enough—you need to craft a narrative. For example, showcasing potential ROI alongside current returns can help executives see the big picture and get excited about what’s possible. DX helps you deliver polished ROI reports tailored for executive audiences, ensuring that your data resonates and drives buy-in. To see an example, download our AI ROI Example Report.
Get started today
Measuring AI’s business impact is about more than just gathering data—it’s about translating those insights into action. With DX, you’re equipped to measure, report on, and optimize your AI investments with precision and confidence. To learn more about how DX can help you maximize your AI investments, schedule a demo today.