KPI Targets: Know the Difference Between Key Priorities, KPIs and Targets (2024)

The most common pitfall I see in companies who are new to Rhythm and the KPI Targets: Know the Difference Between Key Priorities, KPIs and Targets (1)Rockefeller Habits is thinking that setting targets for their KPIs is the same thing as having a plan. A complete plan includes KPIs, Company Priorities, Personal Priorities, and Red/Yellow/Green success criteria for all. A KPI target is simply the goal that you are trying to achieve, it is a metric. What is your team going to do in order to hit the KPI? Those are your key priorities, or quarterly rocks that will help you improve your business to meet the KPI targets.

If you ask any salesperson what their #1 priority is for the quarter, they will tell you “to make my revenue goal!” True – but how are they going to make their revenue goal. Any salesperson with a goal but no game plan is set up for failure.

The same holds true at the Company level. You can set a target to grow to $200 million, but you must also identify the key priorities required to hit that number. A healthy Rhythm of Strategic Thinking, Execution Planning, and Doing the Work will accelerate you toward this goal. Setting KPI targets without defining priorities is just fool’s gold.

So, what is a key priority? And what is a KPI?

Key Priorities/Quarterly Rocks

A Priority is a specific action statement. There is a verb. There is a due date and an owner. It simply states what activities you or your team are committing to deliver in the quarter. A Quarterly Plan consists of 3-5 Company Priorities for the whole group and 3-5 Personal Priorities for each person on the executive team.

Examples:

Company Priority #1: Launch new product X by Sept. 30th (John Product)

Company Priority # 2: Expand sales team in territory X (Susie Sales)

Company Priority #3: Complete due diligence on possible acquisition by May 5th (Joe CEO)

Personal Priority: Relaunch website with new product information (Jen Marketing)

Personal Priority: Hire 2 new sales managers (Jose HR)

Personal Priority: Review and edit contracts X & Y (David Legal)

Personal Priority: Complete beta testing of new product (John Product)

Personal Priority: Launch new comp plan (Susie Sales)

KPIs - Key Performance Indicator and Targets

A KPI (Key Performance Indicator) is simply a metric – a number you track that helps you solve a problem or gives you insight. KPIs can be divided into two categories: leading indicators and results indicators. A result indicator defines an outcome. These are your targets, or the number you need to hit. A leading indicator helps you know if you are on track to achieve your desired results.

Examples:

Results Indicator: $1 million in sales by the end of the quarter

Leading Indicator: $3 million in pipeline (necessary to produce $1 million in sales)

Results Indicator: 10 new customers by the end of the quarter

Leading Indicator: 50 face-to-face meetings (should result in 10 new customers)

Results Indicator: 90% client retention

Leading Indicator: NPS > 8.5

During your next planning session, be aware of KPIs masked as Priorities. To avoid this, set your KPI targets first and then develop a plan that will help you get there. And remember that priorities should include a verb, a timeframe and an owner. And both KPIs and Priorities should have clearly defined Red/Yellow/Green success criteria.

Learn more about how to have an effective Quarterly Planning Session here.

KPI Targets: Know the Difference Between Key Priorities, KPIs and Targets (2)

Looking for more Annual Planning Meeting information to help get you started? Check out our additional resources:

Annual Planning: 9 Tips to Focus & Align Your Team with a Great Plan

Annual Planning Playbook: 5 Steps to Create a Winning Annual Plan

How CEOs Can Avoid High-Cost Mistakes in Annual Planning

Best Practices for Annual Planning

Rhythm SystemsAnnual Planning Resource Center

KPI Targets: Know the Difference Between Key Priorities, KPIs and Targets (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between KPI and priority? ›

KPIs will help you measure many of the day-to-day activities necessary to run the business effectively. Priorities will help you take bigger steps forward to grow and improve the way the business operates.

What is the difference between a KPI and a target? ›

One example of a goal is “improving sales.” Targets are the quantifiable benchmarks you want to reach to meet your goals. Using the “improving sales” goal, we could build a simple target of “closing 10 deals per week.” KPIs (key performance indicators) are measurable values used to track progress toward a goal.

What is the difference between key objectives and KPIs? ›

Objectives and key results (OKRs) require you to identify your target and the metrics to help you stay on track. Key performance indicators (KPIs) are focused only on tracking your progress — think of them as signals that you're heading the right way.

What is the primary difference between a KPI and a key result? ›

KPIs most often monitor the “steady-state,” while OKRs are meant to help move the needle on something strategically important to your organization. Both KRs happen to incorporate the museum's KPIs. Make the museum more relevant to the community. Grow number of monthly visitors from the local area 30% by next quarter.

What is a KPI with an example? ›

In simple terms, key performance indicators are a goal that you work towards achieving. For the sake of simplicity, let's look at this example: you own an apple stand, and to be profitable this month, you have to sell 1,000 apples. So, you set your KPI: sell 1,000 apples this month.

What is a key performance indicator KPI and what are some examples of KPIs? ›

KPIs are the key targets you should track to make the most impact on your strategic business outcomes. KPIs support your strategy and help your teams focus on what's important. An example of a key performance indicator is, “targeted new customers per month”.

What is a KPI target? ›

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are a target metric that measures the effectiveness of any process. Setting KPIs and measuring them over time helps managers determine whether the company is performing as they wish.

What is a target KPI? ›

What Are KPI Targets? KPI targets are short-term performance measurements used by businesses to track the progress of their strategies toward achieving general goals. With the help of KPI reports, all of these targets can be visualized together to get a complete picture across departments.

What is the difference between KPI and key performance metrics? ›

KPIs are directly tied to strategic goals and they're used for measuring performance against set objectives. Metrics, on the other hand, are much broader and include various data points used for analysis – but may not directly align with key objectives.

What is an example of a smart goal and KPI? ›

A simple KPI goal might be “shorten sales cycle length,” which tracks the average time it takes from initial contact to closing a sale. A SMART KPI goal would be “Decreasing sales cycle length by 5% each month to decrease sales costs by 15% by the end of Q4.”

What are KPIs and how do you identify them? ›

KPIs are quantifiable measurements or data points used to gauge your company's performance relative to a goal. For instance, a KPI could be related to your goal of increasing sales, improving the return on investment of your marketing efforts, or improving customer service.

How do I set my KPIs and prioritize my time? ›

How do you deal with KPI overload and prioritize the most important metrics?
  1. Define your purpose and objectives. ...
  2. Choose the right KPIs.
  3. Limit the number of KPIs. ...
  4. Review and update your KPIs. ...
  5. Communicate and visualize your KPIs.
  6. Learn and improve from your KPIs.
  7. Here's what else to consider.
Apr 18, 2023

What are key priorities? ›

countable noun. If something is a priority, it is the most important thing you have to do or deal with, or must be done or dealt with before everything else you have to do. Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner's Dictionary.

What is considered a KPI? ›

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are the critical (key) quantifiable indicators of progress toward an intended result. KPIs provide a focus for strategic and operational improvement, create an analytical basis for decision making and help focus attention on what matters most.

What is the difference between OKRs and priorities? ›

After all, OKRs are your priorities, so the two should naturally grow and shift together. Remember, OKRs are amendable and revisable; they should represent the growth and change you want to see in your company at that moment.

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