Ted is a Founder and Managing Partner of ClearPoint Strategy and leads the sales and marketing teams.
Explore 70+ key performance indicators in the Financial, Customer, Process and People categories.
Table of Contents
When I explain key performance indicators (KPIs) to our customers, I tell them to think of them as the compass guiding your ship. Choose the right ones, and you'll stay on course towards your desired destination. But choose poorly, and you might find yourself adrift, measuring things that don't truly matter for your success.
No one wants to be adrift at sea, so I wrote this list of the most common KPI examples for each department to help shape your own strategy. It includes a variety of established metrics that have proven effective across different industries, giving you a reference point to tailor your own KPIs to your organization's specific goals and needs. Each KPI example includes a definition and formula (how to measure the KPI).
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In my experience, the most effective leadership teams track fewer than 25 measures that align with the four categories of the Balanced Scorecard: Financial, Customer, Process and People. I've broken down my list of KPIs into these categories—make sure you select a few from each category so your strategy is well-balanced across the organization.
Note that the right KPIs for you might not be the right KPIs for another organization. KPIs should match your strategy, not just your industry.
Financial KPIs
The point of these KPIs is to be able to talk about and understand the fiscal health of your organization. Of course, you're going to see different signs of health depending on your industry. Tech companies should be looking at growth, whereas companies in a regulated industry should be looking at steady performance.
To get a list of financial KPIs that are suited for your organization, I’d advise that you do some light benchmarking using industry standards. Then, I would focus on your strategy to expand your list. So, if you want to grow faster at a lower margin, that may change your targets (and sometimes your measures).
But don’t overthink it. This should be your easiest category of KPIs in the sense that you should already have most of them in your back pocket. Talk to your CFO, look at your strategy, and then make sure your finance department can track whatever you want to measure. By monitoring key metrics like revenue, expenses, and profit margins, your organization can make informed decisions, identify trends, and spot potential issues before they become problems.
KPI Name
Definition
Formula
Gross Profit Margin
Measures the percentage of revenue that exceeds the cost of goods sold.
(Revenue - Cost of Goods Sold) / Revenue
Net Profit Margin
Measures overall profitability after all expenses are accounted for.
Net Profit / Revenue
Total Cost Management
Tracks total expenses and identifies areas to reduce and manage costs effectively.
N/A
Revenue Target Comparison
Compares actual revenue to projected revenue. Analyzing discrepancies helps assess departmental performance.
N/A
Production Cost Analysis
Calculates total production costs to determine product markup and profit margins.
Total Production Costs / Number of Units Sold
Accounts Receivable Efficiency (DSO)
Measures the average number of days to collect payment after a sale.
(Accounts Receivable / Total Credit Sales) x Number of Days
Regional Sales Performance
Analyzes sales performance across different regions to provide feedback and improve underperforming areas.
N/A
Budget Adherence
Compares actual expenses to budgeted amounts to understand deviations and improve future budgeting.
N/A
Financial Strength
Demonstrates cash flow from financing activities.
(Cash Received from Issuing Stock or Debt) - (Cash Paid as Dividends and Debt Reacquisition)
Customer Service Cost
Calculates the average annual cost to serve one customer.
Total Expenses / Total Customers
EBITDA
Measures earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization.
This area is where you’ll get valuable insights into customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty, so your organization can identify what’s working well and where improvements are needed.
What I think these KPIs boil down to is measuring what customers say and do. This can happen via polls, surveys, or even in-person interviews—and large B2C organizations often use social media platforms to gauge customer engagement and sentiment as well. People may say that they like your features or services, but are they actually buying them? Are they willing to pay more for them? It’s customer sentiment versus customer action, and you need to measure both.
I would focus mainly on self-benchmarking or comparing your numbers to last year. Also, don’t change your questions each year or comparing data will be impossible. Revisit your questions and how you collect data every three to five years, depending on how frequently people interact with what your organization offers.
KPI Name
Definition
Formula
Customer Satisfaction Score (CSAT)
Measures the percentage of customers who are satisfied with a product or service.
(Number of Satisfied Customers / Number of Survey Responses) x 100
Net Promoter Score (NPS)
Evaluates customer loyalty by asking how likely they are to recommend a company’s products or services.
% Promoters - % Detractors
Customer Retention Rate
Measures the percentage of customers a company retains over a specific period.
((End Customers - New Customers) / Start Customers) x 100
Customer Churn Rate
Tracks the percentage of customers who stop doing business with a company over a specific period.
(Number of Customers Lost / Total Number of Customers) x 100
Customer Lifetime Value (CLV)
Estimates the total revenue a business can expect from a single customer over the course of their relationship.
Average Purchase Value x Purchase Frequency x Customer Lifespan
Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)
Calculates the cost associated with acquiring a new customer.
Total Sales and Marketing Costs / Number of New Customers Acquired
First Contact Resolution (FCR)
Measures the percentage of customer issues resolved on the first contact.
(Number of Issues Resolved on First Contact / Total Number of Issues) x 100
Customer Effort Score (CES)
Assesses how much effort a customer must exert to resolve an issue, complete a purchase, or interact with customer service.
Survey Results (Typically on a Scale from 1-5 or 1-7)
Repeat Purchase Rate (RPR)
Measures the percentage of customers who have made more than one purchase.
(Number of Repeat Customers / Total Number of Customers) x 100
Customer Advocacy
Tracks the percentage of customers who actively promote and advocate for the brand.
(Number of Customer Advocates / Total Number of Customers) x 100
Tracking process KPIs is vital for organizations to ensure operations run smoothly and efficiently. These metrics help monitor the effectiveness of various processes, from production to service delivery, allowing organizations to identify bottlenecks, reduce waste, and optimize performance. Many of these can overlap with the customer KPIs above, but for the purposes of this article, I kept the below Process KPI list unique.
The goal for these measures is to help organizations continuously improve their workflows, enhance productivity, and deliver consistent quality. Process measures tend to have a unique formula, depending on the organization.
KPI Name
Definition
Formula
Cycle Time
Measures the total time to complete a business process from start to finish.
TBD
Process Efficiency
Computes the ratio of the effective output to the total input used in the business process.
TBD
Error Rate
Tracks the frequency of errors encountered in the process.
TBD
Return on Investment (ROI)
Measures the profitability or value added of a process by comparing its costs and benefits.
TBD
Accounts Receivable Turnover
Measures how efficiently a company collects cash from its customers.
TBD
Operational Efficiency
Assesses the ratio of overhead costs (including administrative and fundraising expenses) to total operating costs.
TBD
Compliance Rate
Measures how well the process adheres to laws, regulations, and internal standards.
TBD
Capacity Utilization
Measures the extent to which an organization uses its installed productive capacity vs. output demand.
TBD
Program Expense Ratio
Calculates the percentage of total expenses that go directly to funding programs and services, as opposed to administrative costs.
TBD
Learning and Growth KPI Examples For Employees
After having worked with Drs. Norton and Kaplan for a decade, I was trained to call the traditional human resources KPIs “Learning and Growth” because they captured the skills, culture, and tools needed for employees to do their jobs well.
Tracking human resources KPIs is crucial for organizations to effectively manage and develop their workforce. I would look at some common benchmarks to develop your HR KPIs, like turnover rate, salary norms, and employee satisfaction (culture). You should also think about productivity. There has obviously been a big shift in all industries with the increase in remote work and the advent of artificial intelligence (AI). Trying to measure remote work has become a distraction, but trying to measure overall productivity of staff is critically important…and hard to do.
By monitoring these Learning and Growth KPIs, organizations can identify areas for improvement, enhance employee engagement, and ensure they are attracting and retaining top talent.
KPI Name
Definition
Formula
Volunteer Employee Turnover Rate (VETR)
Measures the rate at which employees leave the company by their own decision.
(Number of Voluntary Departures / Average Number of Employees) x 100
Qualified Responses to Open Positions
Measures the percentage of qualified applicants for open positions.
Number of qualified applicants / job openings
Employee Satisfaction
Assesses employee satisfaction through surveys and other metrics.
N/A
Knowledge Achieved with Training
Evaluates training effectiveness through exam pass rates and average scores.
N/A
Internal Promotions vs. External Hires
Measures the ratio of internal promotions to external hires.
N/A
Salary Competitiveness Ratio (SCR)
Compares company salary averages to industry standards.
Company Average Salary / Competitor Average Salary
Absenteeism Rate
Measures the percentage of workdays lost due to employee absence.
(Number of Days Absent / Total Number of Workdays) x 100
Training Completion Rate
Tracks the percentage of employees who complete assigned training programs.
(Number of Employees Completing Training / Total Number of Employees Assigned Training) x 100
Time to Fill
Measures the average number of days it takes to fill an open position.
Total Days to Fill Positions / Number of Positions Filled
Employee Productivity
Evaluates the output of employees relative to the input in terms of hours worked or costs.
Metrics are important in local government because they help track the effectiveness of public services and ensure resources are being used wisely. By measuring key indicators, local governments can see what’s working well and what needs improvement, making it easier to deliver better services to the community. Metrics also provide a way to stay accountable to citizens, showing that their tax dollars are being spent efficiently and effectively.
Category
KPI Name
Definition
Public Safety
Crime Rate
Measures the number of crimes reported per 1,000 or 100,000 residents.
Emergency Response Time
Average time taken for emergency services (police, fire, ambulance) to respond to incidents.
Fire Incident Rate
Number of fire incidents per 1,000 or 100,000 residents.
Traffic Accident Rate
Number of traffic accidents per 1,000 or 100,000 residents.
Financial
Budget Variance
Difference between the budgeted amount and the actual amount spent.
Revenue Collection Rate
Percentage of revenue collected compared to the amount billed.
Debt Ratio
Ratio of total debt to total revenue.
Grant Funding Utilization
Percentage of available grant funds that have been utilized.
Public Health
Immunization Rates
Percentage of the population that is immunized against specific diseases.
Hospital Readmission Rates
Percentage of patients readmitted to hospitals within a certain period.
Air Quality Index
Measurement of air pollution levels.
Access to Healthcare
Percentage of the population with access to healthcare services.
Infrastructure and Public Works
Road Condition Index
Percentage of roads in good, fair, or poor condition.
Water Quality Compliance
Percentage of water samples meeting safety standards.
Waste Management Efficiency
Amount of waste recycled or properly disposed of as a percentage of total waste collected.
Infrastructure Project Completion Rate
Percentage of infrastructure projects completed on time and within budget.
Community and Social Services
Affordable Housing Availability
Number of affordable housing units available compared to the demand.
Unemployment Rate
Percentage of the labor force that is unemployed.
Social Service Program Participation
Number of residents participating in social service programs.
Library Usage
Number of library visits or number of items borrowed.
Environmental Sustainability
Energy Consumption
Total energy consumption by government facilities.
Green Space Availability
Percentage of land designated as parks or green spaces.
Renewable Energy Usage
Percentage of energy used that comes from renewable sources.
Carbon Footprint
Total greenhouse gas emissions produced by government operations.
Education
Graduation Rates
Percentage of students who graduate from high school.
Student-Teacher Ratio
Average number of students per teacher.
Literacy Rates
Percentage of the population that is literate.
School Attendance Rates
Percentage of students attending school regularly.
Effective KPI tracking involves more than just choosing the right metrics. KPI dashboards provide visual summaries of your data, making it easier to spot trends and communicate progress. Specialized software, such as ClearPoint, can streamline data collection, analysis, and reporting, saving you valuable time and resources.
By implementing performance management software, you can streamline the process of tracking and reporting KPIs. You can keep common data in one system (such as number of employees, number of customers, and revenue), so that calculations remain accurate. ClearPoint leverages calculations and aggregations and automatic evaluations to quickly show the progress you are making with your KPIs. AI is built into ClearPoint to quickly analyze data and drive your results forward.