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Metrics vs Measurements

 , December 14, 2016
A metric is a system or standard for measuring something.
A measurement is a numerical observation.

Metrics vs Measurements

Metrics and measurements are similar enough that the two terms are commonly used interchangeably. The key difference is that a metric is based on standardized procedures, calculation methods and systems for generating a number. A measurement could be taken with a different technique each time. As such, metric is a more appropriate term for highly standardized measurements.

Example

A firm is interested in measuring customer satisfaction. One week they go out and ask customers to rate their satisfaction on a scale of 1-3. The next week they go out and ask customers to rate their satisfaction on a scale of 1-4. Such measurements can't be considered metrics because they aren't observed using a system or standard.
When the firm decides on a standard scale and technique for gathering and computing customer satisfaction, it can accurately be referred to as a metric.
Metrics vs Measurements
MetricsMeasurements
DefinitionNumerical observations based on standard systems, methods, calculations and data sources.Numerical observations.
Key DifferenceStandardizedPotentially adhoc

Business Metrics

This is the complete list of articles we have written about business metrics.
Attach Rate
Baseline
Benchmarks
Budget Variance
Capability Rate
Churn Rate
Compliance Rate
Cost Effectiveness
Customer Satisfaction Rate
Cycle Time
Efficiency
Error Rate
Financial Metrics
Function Points
Gross Margin
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Marketing Metrics
Productivity
ROI
Run Rate
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Sales Volume
Share Of Wallet
Story Points
Takt Time
Time To Volume
Turnaround Time
Vanity Metrics
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