DORA AI Capabilities Model

DORA is primariy audience is Software Development Organizations. We have repurposed its core to be used as part of ICL AI usage guidance.

Why We Follow the DORA AI Capabilities Model

Clear AI Strategy and Policies

Together, we establish clear guidelines so your team knows exactly when and how to use AI safely—no guesswork, no fear of making mistakes.

Not just software development but teams in other business-like roles

High-Quality Internal Platforms

We advise on how to build and maintain development infrastructure that just works. Your developers shouldn't fight their tools—they should focus on delivering value.

That applies to other projects and teams producing architectural artifacts in the Product development phases.

Clean, Accessible Data

AI is only as good as the data it learns from. We ensure information is well-organized and accessible so AI can actually help, not hallucinate.

That is about transforming the invisible part of the iceberg

Strong Developer Experience Focus

Happy developers build better software. We prioritize workflows that your team will actually enjoy using—because that's how real adoption happens.

Learning-Oriented Culture

We encourage experimentation over perfection. Your team should feel safe to try new AI approaches without fear of blame when things don't work the first time.

That is a direct attribuitte of your CMM compliance and succes.

Modular, Decoupled Architecture

We design systems that can evolve. Legacy constraints shouldn't hold you back from adopting new AI capabilities as they emerge.

Your CMM based organization also requires Architecture Professional

User-Centric Thinking

Technology for its own sake is worthless. Every AI implementation we recommend must solve a real problem for your end users—that's the only metric that matters.

This is why we advise Business Analyst presence in Product declarations

The DORA AI Capabilities Model report, is a companion guide to the 2025 State of AI-assisted Software Development report. It serves as a practical guide to the seven capabilities that amplify the benefits of AI. For each of the seven core capabilities, this report details implementation strategies, specific tactics for teams to get started, and methods for monitoring progress and fostering continuous improvement.

Download our copy PDF of the DORA AI Capabilities Model (size:9MB)

Or use your own download

Appendix

DORA (DevOps Research and Assessment) is a research program that identified four key metrics for measuring software delivery performance:

Deployment Frequency - How often code is deployed to production
Lead Time for Changes - Time from commit to production
Change Failure Rate - Percentage of deployments causing production failures
Time to Restore Service - How quickly service is restored after incidents

Software development teams are classified as Elite, High, Medium, or Low performers based on these metrics. DORA metrics help quantify DevOps maturity and guide improvement efforts.

Google Cloud is the primary company behind DORA.

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