Our team hits their volume targets on the weekly Scorecard, but we are seeing quality errors, customer rework, and sloppy execution slip through. How do we structure paired counter-metrics to stop people from gaming their numbers?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

People optimize for whatever metric you inspect. If you measure sales reps only on outbound calls, you get dialed numbers and garbage conversations. If you measure field technicians only on closed tickets per day, you get rushed visits and sloppy installs that trigger customer callbacks next week.

The solution is pairing every volume measurable with an opposing quality or friction counter-metric. Every output number must have an anchor that penalizes gaming.

- If you track closed support tickets per technician per week, pair it with a seven-day reopen rate or first-contact resolution percentage.
- If you track total client accounts onboarded, pair it with first-month onboarding churn or zero-defect implementation sign-offs.
- If you track outbound proposals submitted by sales, pair it with a required deal qualification scorecard threshold or gross margin floor on accepted quotes.

When you build these paired metrics into your EOS® Scorecard, the single seat owner cannot hit their number by taking operational shortcuts. Both metrics must sit side by side on your weekly Scorecard. If volume is green but quality is red, the seat has failed for that week.

This creates healthy operational tension. It forces your people to take accountability for throughput and craftsmanship at the same time. The goal is not to police every minute of their day, but to create a mathematical balance where gaming one variable instantly breaks another.