The problem with this is it tells you nothing about how competent the candidate is. It tells you about the success of a metric of an IT project. And it is easy

The problem with this is it tells you nothing about how competent the candidate is. It tells you about the success of a metric of an IT project. And it is easy to make up. It is usually a “we” thing and it if they say “I” then I am suspicious. And say they single handily sped up some system. Maybe it was a half day of profiling and fixing some string copying bug. Yes that fix moved a needle and is “Worth millions” but is it? Many people could do the same fix. I am suspicious of team metrics (period!) and I am suspicious of them being used to judge a developer. What you really want to know is can they fix stuff, are they thinking in alignment with the business. Chasing metrics often isn’t that. Metrics are a necessary evil: they are part truth part bullshit and require nuance to interpret.