"When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure."
- Strathern (variation on Goodhart’s Law)
I came across this quote in Dave Snowden post on the Cynefin website, and it has been lingering in my mind for days. It's incredibly true, I've seen it happen multiple times.
Here are 3 examples in engineering:
When story points are used as performance targets.
⤷ The focus would be on the points instead of solving the actual problem.
⤷ This leads to inflated estimates, undermining the quality of the work.
When code coverage is used as a quality metric.
⤷ The focus would be on writing tests that cover lines of code.
⤷ Not on the quality and robustness of the code.
When the number of commits is used as a productivity indicator.
⤷ Encouraging frequent, small, and sometimes unnecessary changes.
⤷ Cluttering history and diverting attention from meaningful commits.
It's essential to remember that while metrics are helpful, their true insights can be distorted once they become a target.
P.S. Have you seen a measurement that gets degraded once it becomes a target?