Maintenance, Repair & Operations

Leading vs. Lagging Metrics

Dec. 18, 2018

Leading metrics help you affect lagging metrics in a positive way.

Your performance is typically graded on lagging metrics, but you can improve your performance only by focusing on leading metrics. Do you know the difference, and do you actually focus on leading metrics?

Lagging metrics are measurements of outcomes and they have already happened. For example, the downtime hours of critical equipment last quarter is a lagging metric. You cannot directly affect a lagging metric. If equipment failed, you cannot change that fact.

Leading metrics, by contrast, help you affect lagging metrics in a positive way. Let's say you currently complete 50% of PMs on time for critical equipment. You can directly change this leading metric, and and improvement here will improve the future lagging metric of failure rate. By redirecting maintenance resources toward the PMs, you can increase that leading metric to 100%. Which way will critical equipment failures go — up or down?

So instead of looking at last quarter’s downtime figures, measure how well you’re performing the tasks that reduce downtime and adjust as needed to do better.

About the Author

Mark Lamendola

Mark is an expert in maintenance management, having racked up an impressive track record during his time working in the field. He also has extensive knowledge of, and practical expertise with, the National Electrical Code (NEC). Through his consulting business, he provides articles and training materials on electrical topics, specializing in making difficult subjects easy to understand and focusing on the practical aspects of electrical work.

Prior to starting his own business, Mark served as the Technical Editor on EC&M for six years, worked three years in nuclear maintenance, six years as a contract project engineer/project manager, three years as a systems engineer, and three years in plant maintenance management.

Mark earned an AAS degree from Rock Valley College, a BSEET from Columbia Pacific University, and an MBA from Lake Erie College. He’s also completed several related certifications over the years and even was formerly licensed as a Master Electrician. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE and past Chairman of the Kansas City Chapters of both the IEEE and the IEEE Computer Society. Mark also served as the program director for, a board member of, and webmaster of, the Midwest Chapter of the 7x24 Exchange. He has also held memberships with the following organizations: NETA, NFPA, International Association of Webmasters, and Institute of Certified Professional Managers.