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Making sense of metrics that actually matter

Original: Measurement / Metrics Foundations

June 2, 2025
1 min read
Framework
Beginner
Measurement / Metrics Foundations

Summary

Overview of key performance indicator (KPI) fundamentals, including definitions of leading vs. lagging, input vs. output, and actionable vs. vanity metrics. Discusses best practices for creating a consistent metric taxonomy and documentation.

Who This Is For

Marketing Analysts
Product Analysts
Business Analysts

Key Takeaways

  • Learn to distinguish between leading indicators (predictive) and lagging indicators (historical) to build better dashboards
  • Understand the difference between input metrics (activities) and output metrics (results) to track the right things
  • Identify actionable metrics that drive decisions vs vanity metrics that just look impressive
  • Create a consistent naming system and documentation framework for your team's metrics
  • Build a metric taxonomy that scales as your organization grows

Topics Covered

metrics kpis taxonomy naming-conventions