Best Metrics for Tracking Project Success

Your dashboards are green but your problems keep getting worse. You're tracking revenue per employee, units produced, and efficiency percentages. All trending upward. But customers still complain about quality. Equipment still breaks down unexpectedly.   Operators still struggle with changeovers. Here's why most metrics miss the mark: They measure what happened yesterday. Not what will happen tomorrow. They focus on outputs. Not the inputs that create those outputs. These 8 KPIs actually predict and prevent problems: 1. OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness) Shows equipment reality, not just availability 2. First Pass Yield Reveals true process capability 3. Total Cost of Quality** Captures the real price of problems 4. Employee Suggestion Implementation Rate Measures engagement that drives improvement 5. Setup/Changeover Time Determines your flexibility advantage 6. Supplier Quality Performance Prevents problems at the source 7. Safety Leading Indicators Predicts incidents before they happen 8. Customer Complaint Resolution Time Shows responsiveness that builds loyalty Each metric drives specific behaviors. OEE pushes systematic waste elimination. First Pass Yield forces quality at the source. Cost of Quality makes prevention profitable. The best manufacturing teams measure fewer things. But they measure the right things. And they act on every single number. Stop measuring your past. Start predicting your future. Question for you: If you could only track one KPI for the next 90 days, which would drive the biggest change?

Traditional KPIs like budget and schedule adherence are a given. To truly drive program success, we need to dig deeper. Here are 5 KPIs that can revolutionize how you measure and manage your programs: Time-to-Value: How quickly are you delivering tangible benefits? This KPI shifts focus from mere task completion to actual value creation. Try measuring the time from project initiation to the first realized benefit. Decision Velocity: In our fast-paced world, slow decisions can kill programs. Track the average time taken to make critical decisions. Aim to reduce this time while maintaining decision quality. Risk Response Time: Risks are inevitable, but slow responses are not. Monitor how quickly your team identifies and addresses risks. Shorter response times can prevent risks from becoming major roadblocks. Continuous Improvement Rate: Great programs don't stay static. Track how often your team implements process improvements. This KPI fosters a culture of innovation and adaptability. Change Absorption Rate: Change is constant in program management. Measure how quickly and effectively your team adapts to changes in direction or scope. High change absorption rates indicate a resilient, agile program. The goal isn't to track every possible metric. Choose the KPIs that align best with your program's objectives and organizational culture. Join the conversation in the comments. Which KPIs do you use to measure your programs? #ProgramManagement #KPIs #ContinuousImprovement #Leadership #ProjectManagement

🚨 𝐏𝐌𝐎 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬 — 𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐌𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲 𝐌𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬? Here’s the hard truth: Executives don’t care how many Gantt charts we’ve created or how many meetings we’ve held. What they do care about is: 📈 Value. 🎯 Results. 🤝 Strategic alignment. 𝐈𝐟 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐏𝐌𝐎 𝐰𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐚 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐲 𝐭𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐚𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬, 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐩𝐮𝐭𝐬. Here are 5 metrics your PMO should be tracking that executives actually care about: 🔹 1. 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐟𝐢𝐭 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 – Are the promised business outcomes being delivered after project completion? Track actual benefits vs. forecasted. 🔹 2. 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐀𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 – What percentage of active projects directly support one or more strategic goals? If the PMO isn’t aligned to strategy, it's just busywork. 🔹 3. 𝐏𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐟𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐨 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 𝐃𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 – Measure value delivered across the full portfolio (e.g., cost savings, revenue growth, efficiency gains), not just project success. 🔹 4. 𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐕𝐚𝐥𝐮𝐞 – How quickly are projects delivering usable value? Not just "on time," but how fast are results feltby the business? 🔹 5. 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 𝐔𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐳𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐜 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐤 – Are your best resources working on the most valuable initiatives, or spread too thin across low-priority efforts? 📊 Tracking these shifts the PMO from a project tracking function to a value-driving partner. 👉 Let’s stop managing to timelines and start managing to impact. 🤔 Has your PMO struggled to convey value to executives? What metrics have made a difference in how your PMO demonstrates value? ♻️ Repost if you liked the content of this post! _________________ 🔔 Ring the bell to follow me on LinkedIn for topics on #ProjectManagement, #ProgramManagement, #PMO, #BusinessTransformation, #CareerTips, and #Leadership. #ProjectManager #ProjectManagementProfessional #BusinessValue #StrategicExecution #KPIs #PortfolioManagement #StrategyRealization