# Metric

The definition of what is measured and how its value is interpreted.

Name, Unit Text and Direction identify the measurement. Cadence, Evaluation Policy and Version complete registration. Formula is multiline text: writing an expression there does not execute a calculation. Intake Check verifies cadence cardinality, key and Active status. Higher Is Better, Lower Is Better and Target Is Better describe direction; they do not independently calculate attainment.

## Use and boundaries

Field names below are the current product labels. `*` and `°` are UI markers, not database constraints. A preferred single-record selection is not a global cardinality constraint either. The related guide explains operational rules.

[Related guide](/systems/kpis-okrs/define-metrics) · [All entities](/systems/kpis-okrs/entities)

[![Metric in the current system](/systems/kpis-okrs/screens/metric-policy.png)](/systems/kpis-okrs/screens/metric-policy.png)

*Metric in the current system*

## Fields

| Field | Storage | Source, options or boundary |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Name* | Text | Stored value. |
| Unit Text* | Text | Stored value. |
| Formula° | Long text | Stored value. |
| Direction* | Single select | Higher Is Better, Target Is Better, Lower Is Better |
| Data Source° | Text | Stored value. |
| Evaluation Policy* | Single select | task-completion-v1, kpi-average-v1, expected-pace-v1 |
| Measures (Organization) | Text | Text reference; not a linked record. |
| Measures (Team) | Text | Text reference; not a linked record. |
| Measures (Department) | Text | Text reference; not a linked record. |
| Measures (Procedure) | Linked records | [Procedure](/systems/kpis-okrs/entity-procedure) |
| Measures (Project) | Text | Text reference; not a linked record. |
| Version* | Text | Stored value. |
| Targets | Linked records | [Metric Target](/systems/kpis-okrs/entity-metric-target) |
| Observations | Linked records | [Observation](/systems/kpis-okrs/entity-observation) |
| Cadence* | Linked records | [Cadence (mirror)](/systems/kpis-okrs/entity-cadence-mirror) · single selection preferred |
| Cadence (Key) | Lookup | Cadence* → Key |
| Created | Created time | Generated by Airtable. |
| Cadence (Lifecycle Status) | Lookup | Cadence* → Lifecycle Status |
| Intake Check | Formula | Computed; see formulas below. |
| Intake Step | Formula | Computed; see formulas below. |
| Tags | Linked records | [op:tags](/systems/kpis-okrs/entity-op-tags) · optional labels from the Core Tags catalog; classification only. |

## Current formulas

Internal references are rendered as readable field names. These expressions describe current configuration, including its limitations.

### Intake Check

```text
IF(COUNTA({Cadence*}) > 1, "⚠ More than one cadence. ", "") &
IF(AND({Cadence*}, {Cadence (Key)} = BLANK()), "⚠ Cadence has no Key. ", "") &
IF(AND({Cadence*}, {Cadence (Lifecycle Status)} & "" != "Active"), "⚠ Cadence is not Active. ", "")
```

### Intake Step

```text
IF(OR({Name*} = BLANK(), {Unit Text*} = BLANK(), {Direction*} = BLANK()), "Define - 1",
IF(OR({Cadence*} = BLANK(), {Evaluation Policy*} = BLANK(), {Intake Check} != "", {Version*} = BLANK()), "Define - 2",
""))
```


## Example and maintenance

Illustrative example: “Reports sent” uses unit reports and Higher Is Better. The definition stays separate from today’s value.

The 159 current Metrics came from the 2026-10-21 migration. Their Unit Text was guessed from the old text (154 count, 4 hours, 1 %) and still needs review by the area leads.

Use the existing fictitious records to inspect relationships in the guide. Before changing fields, check lookups, formulas, intakes and workflow contracts. This page documents structure; a field does not prove that an integration populates it.