Let’s start with a stat that might sting a little: 14% of remote engineers and 6% of in-office engineers are ghost engineers. They’re on the payroll, part of the standups, but when it comes to actual impact? Almost nothing.

This isn’t just me throwing shade, this came from a Stanford study that’s been making waves. Ghost engineers aren’t necessarily lazy; they’re often stuck in bad processes, unclear priorities, or team setups where their work just… doesn’t show up. But here’s the problem: while they blend into the background, they’re quietly draining your team’s productivity, budgets, and morale.

If you’re running an engineering team, this should make you pause. Because every ghost engineer is slowing down your A-players, delaying projects, and adding hidden costs.

So, how do you spot them? How do you fix this without micromanaging or turning your team into a surveillance state? That’s where DevDynamics comes in, giving you the clarity to tackle this problem head-on.

Ghost Engineers: Why They’re Hard to Spot

Ghost engineers don’t wave a red flag and say, “I’m not contributing!” They’re stealthy. And it’s not always their fault, it’s often how teams are set up. Here’s why they’re tough to catch:

• Your engineering metrics aren’t showing the truth. Velocity looks fine, PRs are being merged, and tickets are moving. But dig deeper, and you’ll see who’s actually driving those numbers and who isn’t.
• Nobody knows who owns what. If responsibilities are vague, it’s easy for someone to disappear into the noise.
• Too many tools, too much chaos. Between GitHub, Jira, Slack, and CI/CD pipelines and others tracking actual contributions is like finding a needle in a haystack.

And while this is happening, your high performers are picking up the slack. They’re frustrated, deadlines are slipping, and your budgets are creeping higher than they should be.

How DevDynamics Fixes the Ghost Engineer Problem

Let’s skip the fluff. DevDynamics shows you what’s really happening in your team so you can actually fix it. Here’s how:

1. See Who’s Actually Moving the Needle

DevDynamics integrates with your entire tech stack (we have the most number of integrations in the industry and we also build custom for you) you already use (GitHub, Jira, CI/CD, Sonar etc) to give you a clear view of contributions:

• Who’s submitting PRs, reviewing them, and getting them merged?
• Are tickets progressing or just stuck?
• How active are team members on critical projects?

It’s not about calling people out. It’s about getting clarity so you can fix gaps before they turn into bigger problems.

Click here to see the list of our available integrations

2. Balance Workloads Before They Break Your Team

Here’s the thing, ghost engineers aren’t always disengaged. Sometimes they’re just stuck or don’t have enough to do, while others on your team are drowning in tasks. DevDynamics helps you:

• Spot who’s overloaded and who’s underutilized.
• Make sure high-priority tasks land in the right hands.
• Catch when someone’s stuck and offer support to get them moving.

Fair workloads mean happier, more productive teams.

3. Catch Problems Before They Blow Up

Our Signals Dashboard is your early warning system. It highlights potential problems like:

• Stalled pull requests or unresolved tickets.
• Work that’s not progressing as planned.
• Bottlenecks slowing down delivery.

Instead of finding out after a deadline is missed, you can step in early and fix it.

4. Transparency Without Micromanaging

Nobody wants to feel watched (and let’s be real, you don’t have time for that). DevDynamics gives you a bird’s-eye view without hovering over your team:

• Are reviews being evenly distributed?
• Is everyone focused on the right projects?
• Who might need clearer priorities or a little extra support?

This kind of transparency builds trust and accountability without the awkward check-ins.

5. Start Conversations Backed by Data

Most ghost engineers aren’t happy being ghosts, they’re just disengaged or unsure where to start. With the right data, you can have productive conversations like:

• “Hey, I noticed fewer tasks were closed this sprint. Is something blocking you?”
• “Looks like PR reviews are piling up for X. Let’s figure out how to even things out.”

These aren’t blame games. They’re chances to bring people back into the fold and make your team stronger.

Why This Matters for Engineering Productivity

Fixing ghost engineers isn’t just about cutting costs or looking good on paper. It’s about creating a team where everyone contributes meaningfully, and no one feels overburdened.

• Fair workloads: When everyone pulls their weight, high performers don’t burn out.
• Faster delivery: Balanced teams deliver faster, with fewer delays.
• Better morale: Teams work best when everyone feels valued and supported.

Ghost Engineers Are a Symptom of a Bigger Problem

A symptom of unclear priorities, broken processes, or engineering metrics that don’t tell the full story.

That’s why we built DevDynamics, to help you cut through the noise, spot the inefficiencies, and build teams where everyone contributes and thrives.

Ready to see how DevDynamics can help? Let’s chat.