Metrics, data and other numbers where decisions are being made of should be actionable or actually say something meaningful.
You need to make sure your metrics are aligned otherwise they have a potential to become harmful, or are at best useless vanity metrics.
What makes a metric meaningful
It should be actionable It should have a meaningful definition It should align to your goals Be aware of possible side effects
Reference
Ries, Eric. The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses. 1st ed, Crown Business, 2011.
Highlights or timestamps
many startups give in to the temptation of using vanity metrics, flattering but useless or even harmful metrics that make a company look good but don’t help bring it closer to its goals.
— ^ecf005 from The Lean Startup
Other vanity metrics could be the hours of work you’ve already put into a product or the number of milestones you’ve accomplished.
— ^2effa6 from The Lean Startup
To be successful, you must find a sustainable business model and grow a base of customers who use your product, and you can do neither if you’re fixated on the wrong metrics.
— ^5ac7b5 from The Lean Startup