Propelo (Harness SEI) vs. minware
Propelo (now Harness SEI) is a second-tier engineering analytics system, offering the same reports available in other tools.
Like other tools, Propelo has reports that cover the most common use cases, but they haven’t adopted modern data methods.
If you want to actually get better at planning, quality, and process efficiency with actionable metrics, Propelo’s first-generation platform is inadequate.
The problem with first-gen metrics
Propelo’s first-gen metrics rely on existing data fields (PR cycle time, deployment count, etc.) They will get in you in the right ballpark, but are:
Lagging, unactionable
They tell you what happened, but not what caused it. Why are cycle times slow – is it interruptions, bad estimates, large tickets? How do I get better?
Disconnected from impact
Propelo’s metrics use arbitrary unit counts (tickets, PRs, etc.), which don’t tell you what matters.
Cumbersome and manual
If you want additional visibility (work type, tech debt, active dev effort, etc.), you have to painstakingly label tickets or log time by hand.
“Instead of AI replacing engineers, maybe it should replace tedious non-engineering work that wastes their time.”
Kevin Borders
Founder & CEO, minware
Next-gen data models offer insights without effort
Next-gen data models use modern methods to derive metrics with higher-level meaning (e.g., active development time per ticket) that are:
Actionable
See exactly where problems lie so you know where to improve.
Impact-Focused
Measure the effect on available engineering time instead of arbitrary unit counts.
Automatic
Compute high-level properties without having to log time, impose mandatory fields, or change the way you work.
Next-gen data models answer real questions
CEOs don't ask about Propelo metrics like cycle times. Next-gen data models answer real questions like these (links go to live demo):
minQL and BI report builder let you customize anything
Propelo lets you configure some options related to your organization's workflow, but the customization is only surface level and the reports themselves are locked in place.
All minware reports are built on top of the minQL query language and fully editable. Access any field from any data source to create custom metrics with powerful formulas, including custom event cycle times.
Say goodbye to spreadsheets and SQL.
Zero-effort setup
Propelo has a straightforward setup process, but still requires manual effort to link identities between Git/Jira and configure your teams.
We’ve invested heavily in making minware work out-of-the box with fully automated configuration and no process changes. All you need to do is hook up version control and ticketing systems with a few clicks.
No story points? No sprints? No tickets in PRs? No Org Chart? Different usernames in Git/Jira? Crazy ticket statuses? No problem, we’ll figure it out.
Setup Difficulty
minware
Propelo
Intensive (Weeks)
Self-Service (Hours)
Zero Effort
Why choose Propelo over minware?
This question may be the opposite of what you were expecting.
Since Propelo has been acquired by Harness, they are effectively a bolt-on product available in the Harness enterprise plan.
If you’re already a Harness enterprise customer, it may be fast and inexpensive to add on Harness SEI/Propelo.
However, if you are interested in deeper, more actionable metrics...
