Measuring What Matters: Using Outcome-Focused Metrics to Build High-Performing Teams in 2025

In 2025 and beyond, organizations that thrive will be those that effectively measure and demonstrate real business value, not just technical outputs. As highlighted in books like Sooner Safer Happier and outlined in the guidance paper Measuring Value: Navigating Uncertainty to Build the Right Thing for Our Customers and Our Business, the challenge isn’t just about measuring activity—it’s about connecting technology initiatives to meaningful business outcomes.

Understanding True Business Value

Value is inherently subjective and volatile – what matters to one stakeholder may be less important to another. Smart organizations recognize that business value typically falls into four key categories:

• Increase Revenue: Driving new sales or adoption of products/services
• Protect Revenue: Maintaining customer satisfaction and retention
• Reduce Costs: Improving operational efficiencies
• Avoid Costs: Preventing issues and reducing risks

Outcome-Focused Metrics That Matter

High-performing teams focus on three levels of measurement:

• Outputs: The features and changes delivered
• Outcomes: The behavioral changes in customers and users
• Impact: The ultimate business results achieved

For example, rather than just tracking features shipped, measure:

Customer Behaviors and Adoption

Look at how customers actually use and benefit from your products/services. Track metrics like:

• Time spent using key features
• Customer journey completion rates
• Adoption rates of new capabilities
• Customer satisfaction and loyalty scores

Business Impact Metrics

Connect technical work to business results through metrics like:

• Revenue growth from digital channels
• Cost savings from automation
• Risk reduction from security improvements
• Customer retention improvements

Flow and Delivery Metrics

While not sufficient alone, also measure how effectively you deliver change:

• Lead time for changes
• Deployment frequency
• Mean time to recovery
• Change failure rate

Building a Culture of Value Measurement

The guidance paper emphasizes that effective value measurement requires:

• Clear alignment on strategic direction and goals
• Regular communication of value across stakeholders
• Built-in feedback loops to validate assumptions
• Focus on outcomes over outputs
• Willingness to adjust based on learning

Common Traps to Avoid

Be mindful of these common pitfalls:

• “Value Theater” – Going through the motions without real measurement
• Focusing solely on technical metrics
• Not revisiting and adjusting value measures
• Letting perfect be the enemy of good
• Using too much technical jargon when communicating value

The Foundation: Learning and Psychological Safety

As emphasized in both DevOps research and recent case studies, high-performing organizations build a foundation of:

• Psychological safety to experiment and learn
• Regular reflection and adjustment
• Focus on solving problems over placing blame
• Shared accountability for outcomes

The Journey Ahead

The path to outcome-driven technology organizations isn’t easy, but it’s essential for future success. Start by:

1. Understanding your organization’s strategic direction
2. Identifying the outcomes that matter most
3. Establishing clear measurement approaches
4. Building feedback loops to validate value
5. Adjusting course based on learning

Jonathan Smart’s presentation at the 2022 DevOps Enterprise Summit discussed organizing for outcomes even more. He’ll share more insights into this topic in his forthcoming book with IT Revolution. Keep an eye out for more information.

As you look to the future, focus on measuring what truly matters – not just what’s easy to measure. Build the capabilities to connect technology work to business outcomes and create a culture that enables continuous learning and improvement.

Remember—the goal isn’t perfect measurement but rather continuous improvement in how we deliver and demonstrate value to our organizations and customers.

- About The Authors

Leah Brown

Managing Editor at IT Revolution working on publishing books and guidance papers for the modern business leader. I also oversee the production of the IT Revolution blog, combining the best of responsible, human-centered content with the assistance of AI tools.

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