The KPI Illusion: Are these your comfort blanket?

The misleading reality of having all look Green

In management, we track KPIs like a pilot monitors instruments; uptime, OEE, transaction counts, training hours. They're everywhere. But over the years, I've seen how these metrics can become comfort blankets. They're often designed to look good, not do good.

Here's the uncomfortable truth: You can hit every KPI and still fail.

Imagine this:

• The Production Manager proudly reports minimal overtime.
• The Supply Chain Manager celebrates low inventory levels.
• But the result? No materials. No builds. No output.

The real KPI - throughput - is a big, bold, ZERO!

Everyone did their job. Everyone hit their targets. And yet, the business lost. This is where Hoshin Kanri earns its stripes.

It's not about tracking isolated KPIs. It's about aligning actions, projects, and decisions with the true north - the strategic goals that matter.

Over the years in management, I've tracked more KPIs than I care to count - Overtime, Direct Labour, Indirect Labour, Freight Cost, Promise Date Changes...you name it!. They're useful, yes. But they can also be misleading...

I've seen KPIs used to paint a feel-good picture when reality wasn't so great. A dashboard full of green ticks doesn't always mean the business is winning.

Because in business - just like in sport - it's not how many training sessions you attended. It's how many games you won.