That’s a missed opportunity. As CFOs take on broader mandates around data, capital efficiency, and long-range planning, I believe engineering productivity belongs squarely within their remit. But measurement requires alignment. To get there, CFOs and CTOs must learn to speak each other’s language and build a shared framework for tracking what matters.

Here are four steps to get you started:

1. Start with a common lexicon—and a shared commitment
   It’s easy to analyze pipeline velocity or CAC payback. But what’s the engineering equivalent of these metrics? The answer varies depending on a company’s product maturity, development model and team structure. That’s why the goal isn’t a universal dashboard; it’s an evolving framework, co-developed by finance and engineering and grounded in trend-based tracking and continuous iteration. For example, in a company shipping weekly releases, it might make sense to measure deployment frequency and mean time to recovery (MTTR). In a company building a complex infrastructure product with longer development cycles, planning accuracy and cycle time might be more relevant metrics. A CFO doesn’t need to know what every pull request does. But they do need to understand how engineering is allocating resources, delivering value and responding to change. Moreover, CFOs can bring structure to the conversation: aligning metrics to investment theses, time horizons and business outcomes.
2. Build a consistent communication rhythm
   We often ask CFOs when they last had a one-on-one with their CTO. The answer, more often than not: “It’s been a while. ”For CFOs, understanding engineering productivity isn’t about micro-management—it’s about visibility. Regular touchpoints, monthly or even quarterly, can help bridge the gap. These conversations shouldn’t just be about budgets or headcount. They should include discussions of development goals, challenges and how engineering output ties to strategic priorities. CFOs can help clarify what trade-offs the business is willing to make (e.g., time-to-market vs. technical debt), while CTOs can shed light on where additional investment would accelerate velocity or improve quality. When these conversations are grounded in data, they move from abstract to actionable. Of course, CFOs must also be thoughtful about how they approach these conversations. A common misstep is leading with budget scrutiny or requests for cost cuts, which can put technical leaders on the defensive. Instead, CFOs can frame their involvement as an opportunity to unlock more impact from engineering, not limit it. One powerful way to earn trust is by asking how finance can help remove friction, asking questions like “Where do we lose momentum?” or “Is there anywhere we’re underinvesting that’s slowing you down?” By showing genuine curiosity and offering operational leverage—whether that’s better forecasting, smarter capital allocation or tools to surface hidden bottlenecks—CFOs can become valued partners, not gatekeepers.
3. Choose metrics that evolve over time
   Engineering productivity is multidimensional: There’s no single metric that captures it all. Instead of searching for the perfect KPIs, choose a handful that provide directional insight into throughput, speed, quality and team health. Start by asking: What are we trying to improve? Then align metrics accordingly. You don’t need to measure everything all at once. In fact, the most effective metrics programs start small, focusing on a few data points that help explain what’s working, what’s slowing things down and what’s improving over time. At the end of this post, I’ve included a sample table of commonly used engineering productivity metrics, complete with definitions and benchmarks, to help jumpstart those conversations.
4. Start with a spreadsheet—and scale from there
   Don’t over-engineer the process. In the early days of this new collaboration, a shared spreadsheet or lightweight dashboard can go a long way towards building trust and visibility. The goal isn’t to launch a full-blown reporting suite overnight. It’s to establish a habit of reviewing and discussing metrics together on a regular cadence. As teams mature and the need for scale increases, purpose-built tools can dramatically improve the fidelity and timeliness of your metrics. For example, LinearB* provides real-time visibility into engineering performance with minimal setup. It integrates directly with your existing developer tools (e.g., Git, Jira) and automates reporting on metrics like cycle time, deploy frequency and code churn—helping teams identify inefficiencies, reduce bottlenecks and accelerate delivery. Tools like this help transform engineering conversations from anecdotal to analytical—and make it easier for both finance and engineering leaders to work from a shared source of truth.

Final thoughts: Align on the why

Ultimately, engineering is one of the largest, most complex and least understood cost centers in modern software businesses. CFOs and CTOs who align early—on goals, language and metrics—are far better positioned to optimize both investment and impact.

Remember, this isn’t just about improving margins. It’s about staying competitive, delivering value to customers faster and positioning R&D as a strategic advantage. When finance and engineering collaborate, the result isn’t just better measurement, it’s better business.

Appendix: Engineering Productivity Metrics – Definitions & Benchmarks

CFOs can use the table below to familiarize themselves with common engineering metrics. Don’t think of these as rigid KPIs–they’re more directional benchmarks to help CFOs and CTOs start speaking the same language, ask better questions, spot patterns and make smarter trade-offs together.

The information contained here is based solely on the opinion of Alex Auchter, and nothing should be construed as investment advice. This material is provided for informational purposes, and it is not, and may not be relied on in any manner as legal, tax or investment advice or as an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy an interest in any fund or investment vehicle managed by Battery Ventures or any other Battery entity. The views expressed here are solely those of the author.

*Denotes a Battery portfolio company. For a full list of all Battery investments and exits, please click here.

The information above may contain projections or other forward-looking statements regarding future events or expectations. Predictions, opinions and other information discussed in this publication are subject to change continually and without notice of any kind and may no longer be true after the date indicated. Battery Ventures assumes no duty to and does not undertake to update forward-looking statements.

The post 4 Ways Software CFOs Can Partner with CTOs to Unlock Engineering Productivity appeared first on Battery Ventures.

By centralizing data across functions, communicating insights based on that data, and influencing a company’s culture, CFOs are in a unique position to keep their organizations pulling in the same direction. Successful CFOs are building companies that can adapt quickly and are ready for what’s next.

In my role at Battery Ventures I work closely with our portfolio companies’ CFOs and advise them in navigating the new demands and opportunities of their changing role. Here are three ways the job is evolving.

1. Data: Gathering and centralizing data to drive better financial-decision making

CFOs are the critical source of truth for financial decision-making in their organizations. With centralized operational data at their fingertips, CFOs are the obvious leaders to determine how and why to allocate budget within and across functions, and to monitor where money is best spent. Make functional data your business: review sales and marketing efficiency, customer support resolution rates, product delivery/implementation times and services team utilization.

Having near-real-time data is critical as CFOs are increasingly expected to offer insights not only about the present-state of an organization but also its future. In return, leaders should be able to turn to CFOs—sometimes dubbed Chief Future Officers—to opine on external influences; from interest rates to business cycles. The foundational first step is driving data availability, completeness, and centralization.

2. Communication: Leaning into the role of cross-functional communicator

By collecting data at the organizational level and ensuring it’s shared regularly across teams, CFOs also have a critical role in supporting cross-functional communication. Increasing organizational communication around data can be uncomfortable—but it’s also key to a company’s success.

It’s rarely the case that executives running specific corporate functions intentionally keep their data buttoned up. But it’s also unlikely that functional heads are consulting data often enough to understand trends quickly, and even less likely that they are thinking about how data from their function may relate to other parts of their organization. When it comes to redefining a strategic role, CFOs have the opportunity to do the critical work of connecting and interpreting to increase knowledge-sharing across teams.

Here point #2 relates to point #1: Data only becomes truly useful when it is communicated effectively and reviewed regularly, and when there’s a shared understanding about how one function’s data-story impacts the others. Ask functional leaders to share key metrics and dashboards regularly. Repurpose one executive meeting each month into a monthly business review and invite all functional leaders. The best CFOs are spearheading these critical conversations.

3. Culture: Advancing productivity and collaborative work practices

CFOs have also emerged as central to organizations’ pursuit of productivity and productive work culture. In the slower period of economic growth that we’ve seen since the pandemic, CFOs often find themselves in the difficult position of monitoring efficiency, reducing spending where needed or reallocating limited resources for maximum impact. These decisions can make for awkward conversations, but it helps if the entire culture commits to following the data where it leads.

While remote work has remained persistent in some industries, CFOs have become influential leaders when it comes to optimizing remote work and re-establishing in-office cultures of collaboration and excellence.

Successful CFOs capitalize on their unique vantage point

CFOs enjoy an unusually strategic vantage point within their organizations. Our best finance leaders have taken the lead on some of the most critical facets of their businesses. They’re improving data processes across the organization, sharing timely insights that promote good financial practices in the present and spearheading organizational change.

Best of all, CFOs offer their organizations greater confidence in navigating the uncertainties of the future. In the future, CFOs will play an increasingly important role in preparing for challenges ahead, while supporting organizations in leveraging new innovations and technologies, balancing near and long-term investment priorities and navigating tensions that arise around value strategy. Central to all of these functions is deliberate mastery over data, communication and culture.

If you’re a CEO or CFO leading a private software company, we’re happy to discuss these topics further and customize advice to your situation. Contact me here.

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Ready to make that next big hire? Here’s what we advise our portfolio companies to do (and not to do) in startup executive recruiting:

• DO understand the what and why of the role before focusing on who should fill it.

Running a startup is fluid and requires quick decision-making. But once you decide to make a change with an existing role or create a new one, it’s important to take time and care in creating structure around the role. As a practical exercise, be sure that you and your team can clearly articulate why you are making a change and what the new role will require. If hiring for an existing role, pinpoint issues with the previous situation to build out a new spec.

In terms of compensation and equity, seek out market data to see what other organizations can offer your ideal candidates. Call your peers to learn what they’re paying for similar roles. And if you’re looking to uplevel from the current person in the seat, expect compensation, title and equity to increase in turn. Despite the macroeconomic environment, the best executives are still commanding top dollar and have multiple opportunities in front of them. Offer within market range or you will lose out on the best talent.

• DO make your hiring process a top priority.

Timing is everything. The worst thing you can do is “test the waters,” putting feelers out to speak with candidates too early only to pause the search. Or worse, tell them you need to make another hire before you fill the role for which they’ve applied. Be deliberate and execute with conviction.

Follow up with talent candidates with urgency, pouncing and engaging as soon as possible. When actively recruiting — particularly for executives — the best hiring teams adjust their schedules to accommodate the candidate. It’s okay to prioritize candidates: ones sourced by your recruiter or referred in may be higher priority than ones who apply online, but running your process with urgency is best practice.

This all may seem like common sense, but we often hear about hiring teams taking weeks to get a candidate interview scheduled. It’s a competitive environment – don’t stand in your own way!

• DO establish a clear interview process.

First impressions are critical, especially with an increasingly savvy and discerning executive candidate pool. Also, as a startup, you and your team are already busy and want to be smart with your time. Therefore, it’s essential to lay out a clear and organized interview process as you move candidates through the funnel.

Start by creating an interview scorecard so you know who you’re assessing for: think in terms of objective skills and traits as opposed to just “feeling.” Determine who will be part of the interview loop and who can veto the hire versus who is there to assess and sell. If you have direct reports as part of the interview process, clearly communicate to them that their feedback and input is valued and will be taken into consideration.

After the recruiter has done the first screening interview, the hiring manager should take the next meeting, followed by the subsequent interviewers. You don’t want everyone to ask the same questions: determine themes or areas for each interviewer to explore with the candidate (past performance, current skill set, culture fit, situational questions, etc.) and assign to different interviewers in the process. The final meeting with a candidate should be in-person, ideally over dinner, to help with the close.

• DON’T lose sight of your organization’s design.

Be sure you’ve designed the role correctly. If you’re a company with $100M in ARR and looking for a CRO, but you’re telling candidates they will run only new business sales (not expansion), it’s likely you’re going to limit who will be interested. A great (and very honest) candidate might respond this way: “This role is titled chief revenue officer. New business is one part of the revenue team, but so is expansion, and so are renewals. That’s what I’ve done in the past and that’s my skill set. For my next role, I’m looking at moving forward, not backward.”

This concept applies across all functions – be sure you scope the role correctly for a company of your size/stage.  Build the organizational structure that maximizes company scaling, not around personalities.

• DON’T go dark during the interview process.

When engaging with executives, every touch point makes an impression. Regularly communicate with candidates during the interview process, clearly plan out who they are meeting and keep the process moving. Even if you’re cooling on a candidate or want to keep them in play while meeting others, keep the executive informed as to where they are in the process.

This also applies to candidates with whom you decide not to move forward. It is always best practice to let people know when you are going in a different direction and provide some feedback on why. This will leave executives with productive input and a positive impression of how they were respectfully treated. You don’t want your company to be thought of negatively in the market.

• DON’T forget to be real with the candidate (and with yourself).

We’ve heard candidates tell us: “The CEO says she only hires A talent, but the whole team around her are B players.” That may well be true, and it takes self-awareness to admit. If you have an earlier-stage team and are looking at upleveling that team, be candid about that. Communicating your plan—that you’re looking to make your first professional or “anchor” hire on the team—sends the signal that you recognize a transition is in order.

Bottom line: Be mindful that candidates are evaluating you and your company. They’ll research the reputation of the company, your other executives, and you. That reputation will impact your ability to hire A players so always be thoughtful of the type of leader and culture you’re creating.

• DON’T skip reference checks.

As executives progress in the interview process, take the time to conduct thorough reference checks. Remember that context is critical for each reference. How closely did this person work with the candidate? What was the nature of their working relationship? If the reference provides mixed or negative feedback, it’s best to validate this before simply writing a candidate off. You should seek additional points of view to determine if there is a pattern of behavior as opposed to just a one-off impression or incident from a single source.

When speaking to references, you want more than a simple “I’d hire them.” Get a holistic view on the candidate by speaking with former managers, peers and direct reports. Speaking with a candidate’s former manager is a necessity; if an executive can’t provide a former manager as a reference, that’s a big red flag. Learn their areas of strength in a past role, where they needed to grow/develop, skills they should hone and anything they’re simply not good at.

• DO break up, swiftly and cleanly, if it’s what needs to happen.

If you decide a candidate is not moving forward, a phone call is the method to break the news. Make sure you do the call yourself; don’t outsource it to a team member or your external search firm.

The tech community is well-connected. You may work with the candidate in the future, and that candidate will probably talk about their interview experience with others. Communicate professionally and in a timely manner regarding why you are not moving forward.

• DON’T lose momentum after the candidate has signed.

Even after your candidate has signed, you’ll want to stay connected and engaged. We’ve heard of candidates turning down other offers just to be wooed back to their current employer. The search for your executive isn’t over until they show up for their first day of work.

After you sign the paperwork, show your new executive love. Send them some company swag. Encourage the team members who were part of the interview process to send congratulatory notes. Ask your board members to do the same. Once you announce the hire internally, let the new hire know they’re welcome to meet people as they prepare to start. If local to their team, consider setting up a lunch or dinner to build rapport.

In conclusion…

Recruiting an executive means recognizing that everything in the interview process is information. You are showing this executive that you know what a considerate, thoughtful, efficient process looks like. As a hiring manager, you are putting your culture, your team dynamics and your awareness of the company’s mission and stage under a spotlight; it should make good sense to an outsider. Remember that the candidate is also evaluating you, and that a lack of consideration, even if unintentional, can tarnish your brand.

When done right, recruiting a top executive can yield you more than a great hire. It can help you better articulate your company’s vision, recognize the stage you’re in and where you need to go next, while finding the right leader to help you get there. Good luck!

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