Traps
Where figures go wrong
When a measure becomes a target it stops describing the work. Treat that as a prediction, not a caution.
Goodhart in Practice
When a measure becomes a target it stops being a good measure. What that looks like in four ordinary workplaces.
Gaming Is Information, Not Misconduct
The response to being measured tells you something about the measure. Treating it as a conduct problem loses the information.
Averages, Outliers and the Tail
Productivity data is rarely symmetrical, which makes the average the least informative summary available.
Comparing Teams That Are Not Comparable
Ranking teams by productivity is the most requested comparison and the one least likely to be valid.
The Denominator Nobody Checks
Most productivity movements turn out to be denominator movements. Checking it first saves a great deal of explanation.
Seasonality and the Quarter Effect
Comparing adjacent periods is the default and the data has a shape that makes it misleading.
Survivorship in Productivity Figures
Figures are calculated on who and what remains. What left is excluded, and it is frequently the explanation.