AMA: Cisco Director of Product Management, Yogesh Paliwal on Product Management KPI’s

A product manager should prioritize addressing customer problems to create long-term value and profitability for the business. , there are several ineffective KPIs that we often fall prey to: Output-Focused KPIs Deliver X Number of Features: Emphasizing quantity over quality can dilute the value provided to users. Create Y PRDs, Processes, or Briefs: Focusing solely on documentation can lead to a lack of actionable outcomes. Tactical KPIs Cost-Cutting Metrics: Overemphasizing reductions in costs ...Read More

Many data-driven Product Management (PM) teams often overlook long-term strategic KPIs, such as Customer Lifetime Value (CLV), by focusing on short-term metrics like quarterly margins or one-off transactions. This approach can be detrimental, as retaining customers typically yields higher CLV and reduces churn-related costs. Another critical KPI often missed is Feature Discoverability and Time to Value. Despite having sophisticated features, users rarely utilize them due to: Difficulty Finding F ...Read More

True OKRs should be cross-functional and not limited to specific areas such as Product Management, Design, UX, or SRE. The "Objective" (O) in OKRs should promote alignment across teams, helping to avoid local optimizations. Key Results (KRs) can be function-specific and have asynchronous relationships with KRs from other functions. If functional OKRs are necessary, ensure that objectives remain aligned across functions. Regardless of the logistics of OKR training, Product Management can leverage ...Read More