Some Example Project-Management Metrics

You now know why metrics are important, and you know what makes a good one. But it would be a huge waste of time and effort to re-create new metrics for every situation. From afar, many projects look the same: a bunch of experts working together to reach a particular outcome, with a project manager at the helm. The team changes, the project manager changes, and the challenges change, but at heart, projects have a lot of overlap. Because of that, many projects reuse metrics from other projects or other organizationally well-known goals.

There is also a side benefit to using metrics that are well known and well understood. For a metric to be useful, it must resonate with the people on the team. There are few ways to bring drama into a team faster than telling members you’re going to measure them on something complicated, or something they have never heard before. It’s even worse for project managers. You know how metrics work, and you’re very comfortable with them. But if you’re given one that makes no sense or doesn’t apply in your situation, then you’ll either ignore it or worry about it. Both of those situations cause you anxiety and stress, and your team recognizes it.