KPIs are great for self-accountability. They give you a clear goal to track toward and a measurable read on your progress both during and after.
As an oversight measure, they fail for the same reasons as every other oversight measure.
Hire people you can trust, give them skin in the game, and then trust them. If you exclusively interact with me via the carrot and stick, I will recognize the lack of trust and respond with an equal lack of trust.
There is too much of this on our industry, and inevitably the churn in our industry matches the service industry.
And then management is surprised when engineers burn out and stop caring. I mean, do they not understand reciprocation? Did they really think treating people like horses will keep people honest and invested in the success of the company and the team?
KPIs are great for extracting additional value beyond the agreed upon job responsibilities. If you can't measure my contributions to your bottom line directly, then _you've_ made an accounting mistake, not me.
As an oversight measure, they fail for the same reasons as every other oversight measure.
Hire people you can trust, give them skin in the game, and then trust them. If you exclusively interact with me via the carrot and stick, I will recognize the lack of trust and respond with an equal lack of trust.