COO's Guide to SLAs and KPIs for Contract Engineering Teams

Managing contract engineers without clear KPIs is managing on vibes. You need measurable indicators that tell you whether the engagement delivers value — and a factual basis for extending, adjusting, or closing engagements.

Velocity KPIs

• Story points per sprint — delivering against sprint plan consistently?
• PR merge rate — PRs merged per week
• Cycle time — ticket creation to merge

Quality KPIs

• PR rework rate — % of PRs requiring significant changes
• Bug introduction rate — bugs per sprint vs permanent team baseline
• Code review participation — reviewing others' PRs, not just submitting

Communication KPIs

• Standup completion rate — async standup every working day?
• Blocker surface time — how quickly they flag when stuck
• Response time — average response during overlap hours

Staffing Partner SLAs

Your staffing partner SLA should cover: replacement time, shortlist speed, and availability guarantees. Get these in writing before the first placement.

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• → COO: Vendor Management