This path is for you if the team has a pile of numbers and no agreed definition. Parts walk from the goal to the metric, leading versus lagging, a written spec, a North Star versus a team scorecard, incentive traps, and a review that decides something. Start with the first part on this page.
- 1 How to turn a business goal into a metric you can track Most metric fights are unfinished goal conversations in disguise. Walk the chain from objective to behavior to measure to target so your next KPI becomes a decision tool, not another dashboard tile that nobody can act on.
- 2 Leading vs lagging indicators: which business metrics warn you early Use lagging indicators for outcomes and leading indicators for early warning. Put both on the review so a green result tile cannot hide a thin pipeline.
- 3 How to write a one-page definition for every business metric people argue about Write a one-page metric spec with owner, grain, formula, filters, and caveats. Definitions beat dashboard debates when two people rebuild the same number.
- 4 How to use one company-wide goal metric alongside team scorecards A North Star focuses the company; team scorecards run the work. Build a simple stack of crown metric, input metrics, and team cards so one slide cannot pretend to manage every tradeoff.
- 5 Goodhart’s law: what happens when a metric becomes a target Goodhart’s law: when a measure becomes a target, it stops being a good measure. Pair KPIs with incentives, audit gaming paths, and prefer metrics that are hard to fake without helping the customer.
- 6 How to run a business metrics review meeting, and how often to hold it Run a metrics cadence that decides: weekly for levers, monthly for outcomes. Bring roles, a pre-read, and a decision log so the hour is not theater.