EV-SE vs Jellyfish
Jellyfish tracks what engineers are working on. EV-SE tells you whether that work is economically sustainable. Activity metrics ≠ economic sustainability.
| Dimension | EV-SE | Jellyfish |
|---|---|---|
| What it measures | Engineering sustainability over time | Engineering team activity metrics |
| Output | Sustainability score, investment allocation analysis | Dashboards, reports, team comparisons |
| Question answered | "Is your engineering investment sustainable?" | "What are engineers working on?" |
| Audience | CTOs, CFOs, board members | Engineering managers, VPs of Engineering |
| Approach | Economic modeling of R&D capital allocation | Jira/GitHub data aggregation and visualization |
| Cost | Free (richardewing.io/tools/ev-se) | $20K-$100K+/yr enterprise contracts |
| Board-ready? | ✅ Produces investment-grade analysis | ⚠️ Dashboards — requires interpretation |
The Verdict
Use both — for different purposes. Jellyfish shows engineering activity. EV-SE evaluates whether that activity creates lasting value. Tracking without economic analysis is measurement without meaning.
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