Free course · Lesson 2 of 5
Turning Questions Into Measurable Metrics
In this lesson you will
- Turn a vague question into a metric
- Write a precise metric definition
Managers ask vague questions like "are we doing well?" — a business analyst's job is to turn that into a specific, measurable question that data can actually answer.
- Vague question: "Are customers happy?" → Measurable metric: "What percentage of customers rate their experience 4 or 5 out of 5?"
- Vague question: "Is the program working?" → Measurable metric: "What percentage of participants completed the program and passed the final assessment?"
- Always define exactly how a metric will be measured and where the data will come from before starting to collect it.
- Avoid vanity metrics (numbers that look good but don't drive decisions) — a metric should always connect to an action someone will take.
Practical Skill: Take 3 vague business questions and rewrite each as a specific, measurable metric with a clear data source.
=== VAGUE QUESTION -> MEASURABLE METRIC === Vague: "Is our social media doing well?"Metric: "What is our average engagement rate (likes+comments / followers) per post this month?"Data source: Meta Business Suite Insights Vague: "Are sales growing?"Metric: "What is month-over-month revenue growth, in SSP, for the last 3 months?"Data source: Sales record spreadsheet Now try your own:Vague: _______________________________________________Metric: ______________________________________________Data source: _________________________________________Practice exercise
Turn 'are customers happy?' into a defined metric with a numerator, denominator, data source and baseline.
Key takeaways
- Precise definitions give everyone the same number
- Targets need a baseline
- Pair targets with quality checks
Free self-study lesson — no certificate. For the full instructor-led program, see registration options.