Build vs buy guide
The business case for DX:
Maximizing engineering ROI
- Introduction
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DX is a strategic investment to optimize your most expensive resource: your engineering talent.
Here’s a summary of tangible outcomes you can expect from DX and how engineering teams justify the cost of DX to stakeholders and finance teams.
- Visibility into AI ROI
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The problem
Most companies invest heavily in AI assuming velocity will automatically increase. In reality, AI often introduces new bottlenecks in the SDLC that we have less visibility into.
DX solution
DX provides the visibility to see if your AI investment is actually paying off or just shifting the friction downstream. It allows you to measure the actual human-equivalent capacity unlocked, moving beyond seat-license tracking to true ROI.
“Using DX to quantify the impact of our AI code assistant has given us confidence in the outcomes it’s driving for our developers. Not only did it confirm that the tool is helping us ship faster, but these insights are helping us refine and guide our continued rollout.”
– Bruno Passos, Group Product Manager, Booking.com Read the full case study“We want to stay on the cutting edge. But AI tools are evolving rapidly. Early on, we wanted to understand: Where do we stand compared to other companies? What are our areas for improvement? And what impact are these tools having on productivity?”
– Maryna Veremenko, Developer Experience Leader, Grammarly Read the full case study - A platform that evolves with the industry
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The problem
Internal dashboards are often sold as "one-time builds," but they quickly become a burden. Data analysts can build a chart, but they rarely have the resources to build a research-backed methodology that evolves as the industry shifts.
DX solution
You aren’t just buying a dashboard; you’re subscribing to a dedicated R&D team. DX handles the complex data pipelines and the ever-changing science of AI measurement, allowing your internal teams to stay focused on building your core product rather than maintaining a metrics tool.
“It became obvious that trying to replicate DX would require multiple full-time employees and data scientists. And even then, we wouldn’t achieve the same level of polish and insights that DX provides.”
– Jared Wolinsky, VP Engineering, SiriusXM Read the full case study“Replicating what DX offers would have required multiple full-time engineers and data scientists. Even then, it wouldn’t deliver the same usability or insights.”
– Vira Tkachenko, CTO, MacPaw Read the full case study - Investments driven by data
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The problem
The most expensive mistake a leader can make is investing months of budget and headcount into solving the wrong problem.
DX solution
By connecting quantitative metrics with qualitative developer sentiment, DX ensures every dollar spent on "process improvement" targets the actual friction point. It acts as insurance against wasted engineering cycles and misallocated capital.
“I honestly don’t know how you would operate as a platform team without data from DX.”
– Russ Nealis, Platform PM, Plaid Read the full case study“DX transformed how we operate. It shifted us from relying on scattered anecdotes to making proactive, data-driven decisions that actually moved the needle.”
– Jico Baligod, VP of Engineering, Sure Read the full case study - Proactive management
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The problem
Without real-time visibility, Engineering Managers are forced to be reactive, only stepping in to address burnout or missed deadlines after they have already occurred. "Flying blind" makes it impossible to lead strategically or proactively.
DX solution
DX provides the "check engine light" for engineering teams. By moving from reactive firefighting to proactive coaching, EMs can course-correct in week one rather than explaining a failure in week four. This dramatically increases the leverage of your management layer.
“Historically, we’ve said the Platform team has to solve everything, but now we’re empowering teams to act locally. The data makes that possible.”
– Meirav Feiler, VP Engineering, Github Read the full case study“The success of DX is that everyone talks about it, from team-level conversations to leadership discussions. It’s become part of how we identify challenges and deliver value.”
– Rob Hornby, Platform Lead, John Lewis Read the full case study - Expertise and best practices
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The problem
Most companies can build dashboards, but very few have the internal expertise to interpret developer productivity data effectively. Without benchmarks, research-backed frameworks, and proven improvement strategies, teams often end up tracking metrics without knowing what “good” looks like or what actions to take next.
DX solution
DX combines measurement with research and operational expertise. Customers gain access to industry benchmarks, proven frameworks, and guidance informed by years of developer productivity research and work across hundreds of engineering organizations. Instead of starting from scratch, teams can build on approaches that are already proven to work.
“We realized we didn’t want to be off blazing trails. We wanted to leverage a path that had already been thought through. DX gave us those strong opinions and built-in expertise, without taking away the flexibility we actually needed.”
– Brian Leathem, Senior Engineering Manager, Thumbtack Read the full case study - Quick time to value
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The problem
Engineering leaders are under constant pressure to answer new questions from executives, finance teams, and boards, especially around AI adoption, engineering efficiency, and organizational investment. Internal systems often struggle to adapt quickly, creating delays every time leadership needs a new view, metric, or analysis.
DX solution
DX gives teams immediate access to trusted reporting and flexible analysis without requiring months of dashboard development or manual data work. Leaders can quickly answer evolving questions about productivity, AI impact, developer experience, and engineering investment without rebuilding reporting infrastructure each time priorities shift.
- Case studies
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Trusted by 600+ leading companies worldwide
DX is the solution of choice for over 600 companies—from tech companies like Uber and GitHub, to financial services firms like Vanguard and BNY Mellon, to scale ups like Lattice and Vercel, to enterprises like Pfizer and Dell.
Customer video interviews