Principlev1PR-230
When a measure becomes a performance target, immediately…
When a measure becomes a performance target, immediately establish a paired outcome metric that the leading indicator was meant to predict, because optimization pressure severs the causal link between indicator and outcome.
Why This Is a Principle
Derives from When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good… (Goodhart's Law) and Measurement of behavior changes the behavior being measured… (measurement changes behavior). This is an anti-Goodhart principle — a design rule for measurement systems that follows from how humans respond to being measured.