How to Make Remote Work Transparent and Comfortable for Everyone
Remote work has become the standard for many IT companies: it expands access to talent and reduces office costs. The main barrier is the lack of visibility and alignment of expectations. Developers find it difficult to demonstrate work progress, and managers struggle to understand the real picture before results appear. We created PanDev Metrics as a tool for transparency, not control.
Remote Work: Developer and Manager Perspectives
Why Typical Solutions Don't Help
For Developers
Manual reports take time and focus away from work. Frequent calls turn into a "theater of productivity." Task trackers capture statuses but not the actual process. Time trackers interfere with workflow and require constant action.
For Managers
Screenshots undermine trust and dignity. Counting commits and PR/MRs provokes "gaming the metrics." Micromanagement demotivates and burns out. Rigid KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) shift focus from value to numbers.
The result: energy goes into imitating control instead of improving results.
A New Approach: Transparency Instead of Control
What is PanDev Metrics
PanDev Metrics is an IDE-based analytics system for transparent and careful management of distributed development without screenshots and micromanagement. We automatically (Zero-Click) collect only technical events from IDEs and link them to tasks and repositories to show actual focus and progress "today," before PRs and demos.
Developers see their contribution and can "draw a line" at the end of the day, team leads manage workload based on facts, management gets an aggregated picture without surveillance. Data is collected only from corporate repositories, aggregated and encrypted, access is role-based; the benchmark of ~4 hours of focus is a diagnostic marker, and metrics are a basis for professional conversation.
Principles
1. Automation Without Intrusion
Data is collected on a Zero Click basis, without user action. Only work projects are tracked with separation of corporate and personal repositories through integrations with GitHub and GitLab. An offline buffer operates with local storage and subsequent synchronization.
2. Context Over Hours
Metrics are linked to tasks through integrations with Jira and YouTrack. Context complexity is considered—files, branches, operations. Priority is on results: PR/MR (Pull/Merge Request), releases, and closed tasks.
3. Privacy by Default
No screenshots or keyloggers. Data is aggregated, the level of detail is set by team agreements. Access to data is strictly role-based: developers see themselves and team aggregates, team leads see their team, management sees departmental aggregates; all events are transmitted and stored in encrypted form.
How the System Works
Technical Process
First, a plugin is installed for the IDE (JetBrains, VS Code, Visual Studio). Then events are automatically captured: editing, branch switching, running tests and builds, code navigation. Next, processing is applied: short pauses are collapsed, work context is determined, irrelevant activity is excluded. After that, data is visualized in personal and team dashboards, as well as in aggregated form for management.
What a Developer Sees in Their Personal Dashboard:
- focus time by days, weeks, and months
- distribution by projects and tasks
- own productivity patterns
- balance between code, review, and research work
🚀 Benefits
Objective data is generated for performance reviews. Overwork becomes visible and manageable. Facts appear in deadline discussions. A foundation for personal growth observations emerges.
What a Manager Sees in the Team Dashboard:
- workload levels and imbalances
- project progress dynamics
- windows for focused work
- early risk signals—blockers and signs of burnout
🚀 Benefits
Decisions become more objective, timelines more predictable, processes more transparent, contribution assessment fairer.
Use Cases
1. Revealing Hidden Overwork
Metrics showed consistent 10–12 hours of activity for a Senior developer. Additional vacation was provided, preventing burnout.
2. Fair Assessment of "Quiet" Contribution
Systematic contribution from a specialist who rarely presented results was confirmed by data. Promotion became justified.
3. Meeting Optimization
Analytics revealed day fragmentation by meetings. No-meeting slots were introduced, after which focus time increased.
4. Realistic Planning
Historical data by task types improved estimation accuracy and reduced deadline misses.
Usage Nuances
PanDev Metrics is not a control system, but a trust tool. The platform doesn't spy on employees: there are no screenshots, keyloggers, or screen recording. Personal projects are not tracked, and public rankings are excluded.
Metrics are not a verdict, but a reason for dialogue. Four hours of focused work is a guideline, not a norm. Numbers matter, but context matters more: each role has its own rhythm and type of activity.
Culture is the foundation of effectiveness. Data only works where there is trust. Transparency must be mutual, and regular feedback should be a natural part of team work.
FAQ
From Developers
Question: Is this tracking every action? Answer: No. Only technical events in the IDE for work projects are captured. Personal repositories, browser, and messengers are not affected.
Question: What if I'm thinking about architecture without coding? Answer: Development isn't just code. The system considers context, and management decisions don't reduce to hours. Four hours of focus is a realistic guideline for complex intellectual work.
Question: Do I have access to my data? Answer: Yes. Developers see their own metrics in more detail than anyone.
Question: What if they start demanding eight hours of activity? Answer: The system contains materials about real productivity norms. Pressure on "hours" is a management mistake, not the purpose of metrics.
From Managers
Question: How to distinguish work from imitation? Answer: Activity is linked to results—PRs/MRs, tasks, releases. Metric gaming is difficult.
Question: How does this help planning? Answer: Historical data by task types improves estimation accuracy and deadline predictability.
Question: Won't this lead to "gaming the metrics"? Answer: Risk is reduced if you consider data in conjunction with value and discuss it with the team.
Implementation Without Conflicts
Approach
Phase 1. Pilot with Volunteers (1 month)
A group of three to five developers starts with full control over their data. Feedback is regularly collected and the approach is adjusted.
Phase 2. Team Launch (2-3 months)
An entire team with an engaged team lead connects. Focus is on team metrics and process improvements, not personal rankings.
Phase 3. Scaling (6+ months)
Other teams connect, internal practices and rules for using metrics are formed.
Rules
Goals and principles are formulated from day one. Focus is maintained on team goals instead of controlling people. The right to make mistakes is secured during the learning period. Feedback is regularly collected. Changes are implemented evolutionarily.
Technical Details and Security
Economic Impact
For the Company
PanDev Metrics increases the productivity of remote teams and reduces management overhead through transparent feedback loops. The company reduces working time losses and costs for control, adaptation, and hiring, improving work efficiency by 10–20%.
For the Developer
PanDev Metrics saves time and effort: no need to manually maintain reports and prove productivity—all data is captured automatically. The system helps avoid overwork and burnout, better distribute workload, and increase personal efficiency. As a result, the developer spends less time on routine and stress, and more on conscious, quality work.
PanDev Metrics offers a modern approach: objective metrics from the IDE and a WorkLogs system for a complete picture of the workday. This is a tool for mutual understanding that helps managers make fact-based decisions and helps programmers protect their interests and avoid burnout.
If you're looking for a way to make remote work effective and comfortable for everyone, choose PanDev. Turn uncertainty into clarity, and anxiety into confidence.
Next Steps
For Developers
Launch personal mode, explore your own patterns, discuss the value of metrics with the team, and propose a pilot with focus on team indicators.
For Managers
Start with volunteers, focus on processes instead of "hours," and regularly share findings and decisions with the team.
For Everyone
The goal is mutual understanding. When facts are available to both sides, it's easier to agree on working practices.
PanDev Metrics was created by engineers and managers who have been through the challenges of remote work. This is a tool for mutual understanding, not surveillance.
Ready to Try?
A thirty-day pilot is available, along with a personal dashboard demo, technical documentation, and a format for team discussion. Write to us—we'll show how the system works in your context.
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