The 20-Metric Ceiling
When teams track too many metrics, decisions lose their edges. Focus is not a limitation. It is a requirement for learning.
Decision-Centric Development fails quietly when focus is lost.
Not because teams stop caring. Not because metrics are wrong.
But because learning systems collapse under their own surface area.
When Metrics Stop Teaching
Metrics exist to help teams learn.
But learning requires attribution.
Which signal belongs to which decision. Which outcome was expected. Which movement actually mattered.
As the number of metrics grows, this relationship breaks.
Teams can see everything.
They can no longer see what mattered.
Metric Sprawl and Decision Drift
When too many metrics are actively monitored, three things tend to happen:
- Ownership becomes unclear
- Signals lose their connection to intent
- Decisions begin to drift or get silently reverted
Not because anyone chose to undo them.
But because no one can clearly tell what outcome they were meant to produce.
At that point, dashboards turn into instrument panels.
They show movement. They stop preserving memory.
A Practical Guardrail
Through experience, we’ve found a simple constraint to be useful.
Not as a rule. Not as a best practice.
But as a guardrail that forces focus.
The 20-metric ceiling
If a team is actively tracking more than ~20 metrics tied to decisions, it is usually tracking too much.
A structure that tends to preserve learning:
- 2–3 active problems at a time
- 3–5 decisions per problem
- A small set of signals per decision
- Total active metrics ≤ 20
This constraint makes ownership visible.
It forces teams to choose what they are actually trying to learn.
Why This Works
Decision-Centric Development is not about coverage.
It is about memory.
More metrics do not create more insight.
They often create less responsibility for intent.
When focus is constrained, decisions keep their edges.
Outcomes remain attributable.
Learning stays possible.
A Guardrail, Not a Doctrine
This principle is not designed for heavily regulated or safety-critical environments.
It is meant for small teams, early-stage products, and fast-moving contexts where decisions are made under uncertainty.
The goal is not to measure everything.
The goal is to remember why a decision was made — and to clearly see what happened after.
Focus preserves memory.
Coverage often erodes it.
Afterchange Team
Helping teams track decisions and measure impact.