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Metrics that survive contact with a board meeting
If two people can present the same number differently, you do not have a metric. You have a negotiation.
Tobias Lindqvist
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7 min read
A metric earns its place when it changes behaviour before anyone is asked to explain it. Most reporting fails this test, not because the numbers are wrong, but because their definitions are contested.
Definitions before dashboards
Write the definition down, including what is excluded. Agree it with the people whose work the number describes. Only then decide how it should be displayed. Teams that reverse this order end up rebuilding dashboards every quarter.
The board meeting is a useful filter. A metric that needs a caveat to be understood is not ready.