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Quality Criteria: KPI Definitions

Metadata

Key Value
ID QC-KPI-001
CrossReference QC-BC-001
DomainLanguages IT Professional English

Version History

Date Status Author Reviewer Change Commit
2026-10-01 Accepted Jens Tirsvad Nielsen S07 First public release (1.0.0) —

Purpose

KPI definitions translate business objectives into measurable indicators, so their quality determines whether progress toward the Business Case's success criteria can be objectively tracked and acted upon.

Quality Criteria Checklist

Level: Mandatory criteria are the baseline every instance must meet; Optional criteria are advanced and may be deferred.

# Criterion Level ISO/IEC 25010 Characteristic(s) Notes
1 KPI is defined in SMART format (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) Mandatory Functional Suitability Reject vague or non-quantifiable KPI statements.
2 Baseline and target values are both defined Mandatory Functional Suitability, Reliability Without a baseline, progress cannot be measured.
3 KPI is aligned with a stated Business Case success criterion Mandatory Functional Suitability Cross-check against Business Case Success Criteria table.
4 An owner/stakeholder is assigned for tracking the KPI Mandatory Usability, Maintainability Ensures accountability for ongoing measurement.
5 Measurement frequency and method are explicitly stated Mandatory Reliability, Maintainability E.g. "measured monthly via review-cycle audit logs."
6 Data source for the measurement is identified and accessible Optional Reliability, Portability Prevents KPIs that cannot actually be measured in practice.
7 KPI thresholds distinguish acceptable, at-risk, and failing performance Optional Functional Suitability, Usability Supports clear reporting and decision-making.

Common Defects

  • KPI stated as a goal or activity rather than a measurable metric
  • Missing baseline, making the target value meaningless
  • No named owner responsible for tracking or reporting
  • KPI not traceable to any Business Case success criterion
  • Measurement method or frequency left unspecified

Traceability Rule

  • Backward: Must link to the Business Case checklist (QC-BC-001) Success Criteria that the KPI operationalizes.
  • Forward: Feeds into SQA review metrics and governance reporting used to evaluate the framework's ongoing performance — outside the QC checklist chain.