Good productivity metrics compare output with effort. Seven that work for most teams: pieces accepted per week, first-time-right rate, cycle time from brief to accepted, rework hours, hours per accepted piece, throughput against plan, and meeting share. Each has a formula, so two people get the same answer.
Seven metrics with formulas
- Output per week. Pieces of work accepted, per person or per team.
- First-time-right rate. Accepted without changes ÷ sent.
- Cycle time. Days from brief to accepted, median.
- Rework hours. Time logged on changes after the first send.
- Hours per accepted piece. All hours on a task ÷ pieces accepted.
- Throughput against plan. Pieces accepted ÷ pieces planned for the week.
- Meeting share. Meeting hours ÷ all hours.
Which ones to start with
Pick one from each group. Output per week for volume. First-time-right rate for quality. Hours per accepted piece for cost. Add meeting share if the team says it has no time to work.
Metrics to avoid
Login hours, active time, emails sent, tasks created. Each one goes up when a team is in trouble. A team that creates 200 tasks and finishes 40 is not productive. It is drowning.
Where M-Tracker fits
The first six metrics need two records: what was sent and whether it was accepted, plus hours by task. M-Tracker records both as part of normal work. Each task has a brief, each send gets a review against it, and the timer groups time by task, project and goal. Google Calendar adds meeting time for the seventh. The numbers are there on Friday without anyone filling in a sheet.
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Questions people ask
What is a good first-time-right rate?
Above 80 percent is strong. Below 50 says the briefs need work before the people do.
Should I compare people on these?
Compare a person with their own past first. Compare across people only when they do the same kind of work.
How many metrics is too many?
More than five. Nobody acts on a dashboard with twelve numbers.
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