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DSI
Checklist

KPI Quality Checklist

This tool has been retired

It stays online so existing links, version history and any work you already started against it still resolve. It is no longer maintained or reviewed.

Use KPI & Monitoring Plan Builder instead
Type
Checklist
Difficulty
Advanced
Time
20 min
Version
v1.0.0
Updated
6/22/2026
datatreasuryproposal analysis

What this helps you do

Most proposal KPIs are activity counts wearing an outcome's clothing. These tests separate the two without demanding academic rigour.

The checklist evaluates measurement quality only. It does not weigh whether an outcome is worth funding.

When to use this

  • A funding request states success metrics you need to assess.
  • You are comparing two proposals with very different reporting quality.
  • You are reviewing whether a past grant actually met its stated targets.

When NOT to use this

  • To judge whether the goal itself is worth funding.
  • On proposals with no metrics at all; the gap is the finding.

What you'll need

  • The proposal's stated KPIs
  • Any baseline figures offered
  • The reporting plan and interval
  • Who is named as the measuring party

Estimated completion time

20 minutes

Working time for one governance action, assuming the inputs listed here are already to hand.

How to use it

  1. 1Take each KPI separately and apply every test.
  2. 2Mark any metric that can move without the funded work happening.
  3. 3Check that a baseline exists and predates the work.
  4. 4Note metrics only the proposer can measure.
  5. 5Summarise which KPIs would let a third party judge delivery, and which would not.

The tool

Full checklist - v1.0.0

Tests applied to each KPI

  • Is there a stated baseline before work begins?
  • Could the number move without the funded work happening?
  • Who measures it, and can anyone else reproduce it?
  • Is the target a threshold or an open-ended 'increase'?
  • What is the reporting interval and where is it published?
Fictional Example

Invented for illustration. It does not describe a real governance action, proposal, or organisation.

Fictional KPI review

  • KPI: increase developer engagement. No baseline, no threshold. Fails.
  • KPI: publish 12 monthly reports with transaction counts. Verifiable by anyone. Passes.
  • Measurement: reported by the grantee only. Weakness noted.
  • Interval: quarterly, published to a public repository. Acceptable.

How to interpret the result

  • A KPI that passes tells you the outcome can be measured and disputed with data.
  • A failing KPI signals a reporting problem, not necessarily a weak project.

Limitations

  • Measurable is not the same as important; a project can pass and still matter little.
  • It does not set target values or thresholds for success.

Sources and methodology

Learn this method

This tool records the work. The Training Lab teaches how to do it.

  • data-and-evidence · KPI Design: What Can Actually Be Measured?

    KPI Design: What Can Actually Be Measured?

    Teaches the four-part test this checklist applies.

    Open lesson

Downloads

  • Markdown export: the complete tool, including metadata, instructions, the template, limitations, sources and version history.

No other file formats are published for this resource. We list a format only when the file exists.

Version and governance

Current version
v1.0.0
Published
8/9/2026
Last updated
6/22/2026
Next scheduled review
12/22/2026
Licence
CC BY 4.0
Editorial status
Not yet externally reviewed

No named reviewer is shown because no external review has been completed. Attribution appears only once a verified reviewer has signed off.

Changelog

  • v1.0.0 (2026-06-22) - Migrated from the static library into the resource register.
  • v1.0.0 (2026-08-10) - Retired. Superseded by KPI & Monitoring Plan Builder. Kept for version history and existing member workspaces.
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