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PR Review Time ​

Definition: PR Review Time measures the duration of the active review phase of a Pull Request (PR). It begins when the first comment is made by a reviewer and ends when the PR is finally approved.

Why It Matters ​

PR Review Time isolates the efficiency and quality of the code review discussion itself. It helps distinguish between time a PR spends waiting for review versus time spent in an active back-and-forth.

  • Highlights Collaboration Quality: A long review time can indicate unclear code, contentious debates, or a lack of established coding standards, leading to lengthy discussions.

  • Measures Feedback Loop Efficiency: This metric directly reflects the time it takes for a developer to receive and act on feedback. A shorter loop means developers can iterate faster.

  • Pinpoints Specific Bottlenecks: If overall PR Time to Merge is high, but PR Review Time is low, it means the problem isn't the review itself, but the time it takes for a PR to get picked up in the first place.

How to Measure It ​

PR Review Time is calculated as the time elapsed between the first review activity and the final approval.

PR Review Time = Time(PR Approved) - Time(First Review Comment)

This metric specifically excludes the initial "wait time" or Pickup Time before a review begins.

Interpretation ​

  • Goal: The goal is a short and collaborative review process. The time should be just long enough for a quality review, but not so long that it causes significant delays.

  • Look for High Variance: A high variance in review times might suggest that the quality of submitted PRs is inconsistent or that different reviewers have very different standards.

  • Correlate with PR Size: Like most PR metrics, Review Time is heavily influenced by PR Size. Large PRs naturally take longer to discuss and review.