Targets

Are your targets leading you down the garden path?

Goodharts Law tells us “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.”

This is because people naturally change their behaviour when a metric becomes a target.

People game the metric to achieve the target.

That’s why setting targets can be counterproductive unless you look out for unintended consequences.

When setting targets, make sure the metric is directly related to business goals and you look out for unintended behaviour changes.

Getting lots of leads is of no benefit if they are all poor quality and don’t result in sales.

Monitor key performance indicators, but don’t treat them as targets if they can result in unintended behaviours.

Have you ever found your targets backfired due unintended consequences?

Do you need help with measuring your website’s performance? – Contact us or access a free measurement plan template here.