It's easy to use the two terms interchangeably, but this is a good way to think about it. Key performance indicators help define your strategy and a clear approach. Metrics are “follow as before” measures, which continue to add value to the organization, but they are not the fundamental measure it needs to achieve. Metrics and indicators are two common terms when it comes to IT planning and management.
Both help measure and quantify the results of operations and provide the necessary basis for evaluating and reviewing work in progress. A metric is a calculated or composite measure or quantitative indicator based on two or more indicators or measures. Metrics help to place a variable in relation to one or more dimensions. While KPIs measure progress towards specific objectives, metrics are measures of the overall state of the company.
While they may be loosely linked to specific objectives, they aren't the most important metrics and may not be a good guide to whether you're on the right track. To know if you're helping your organization achieve success, you need to measure the contribution of your website. KPIs are great for informing management about the performance and ROI (return on investment) of your website. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are a group of indicators (key metrics) that help organizations evaluate progress toward strategic objectives.
If the analysis has created a correlation between downloads and SQL, website visitors and new downloads become KPIs and not just metrics. What became apparent was that the terms “indicator”, “measure” and “metric” vary from agency to agency and are often used interchangeably, although there are subtle differences. This is because managers share metrics and indicators with all employees and thus it is possible to have a team that is more committed to the result. However, the key metrics are the real numbers and actions on your website that really matter to achieve your strategic objectives.
By knowing how well your team is generating leads online through several key metrics, you can determine how successful the website is in achieving this specific strategic objective. It is important to differentiate between metrics and indicators to know exactly when and how to use each of them in favor of the business. An indicator is a qualitative or quantitative factor or variable that provides a simple and reliable means of expressing achievement, the achievement of a goal, or the results resulting from a specific change. Harry Jones said: I tend to see indicators as key numbers or facts that point to some action, measures as intentional quantification and metrics as ways of measuring and formulating data to draw conclusions, at least for the time being.
