Your status report is answering "Are we busy?" Your executives are asking "Are we going to succeed?" That gap is costing you credibility—and it's fixable.
In Episode 5, Rick A. Morris—a Six Sigma practitioner and data obsessive—exposes the metrics trap most PMs fall into and shows you how to build dashboards that actually answer the questions that matter.
The Core Problem: Activity metrics measure busyness. Outcome metrics measure results. Most PMs are tracking the wrong ones.
The Lawyer Analogy: PMs build cases. Sponsors are judges. If you have more data than the person you're presenting to, you win the conversation. But only if the data tells the right story.
"It's not a data problem. It's a framing problem. You're reporting inputs when executives are asking about outcomes." — Claude's blunt assessment
What You Should Actually Be Measuring:
✅ Value Delivered - Features in production being used (not just shipped)
✅ Time to Impact - How fast from idea to user value?
✅ Quality Signals - Defect rates, technical debt, user satisfaction
✅ Team Health - Velocity stability, morale, sentiment (not just velocity)
✅ Stakeholder Confidence - Sponsor engagement, meeting attendance
Rick's Signature Metric: Scope Stability Index New story points added ÷ total committed story points. If it exceeds 15% mid-sprint, execution predictability collapses. This is how you show sponsors the real cost of mid-sprint scope changes—with data, not arguments.
The GrowthDay Lesson: A last-minute feature became the app's stickiest element. Rick only knew because he measured how users actually engaged with it. If you're not measuring features being used—not just shipped—you don't know if you're delivering value.
Three AI-Powered Prompts:
🔹 Metrics Dashboard Designer - Build a dashboard that answers executive questions with outcome metrics, leading indicators, green/yellow/red thresholds, and audience-specific presentations
🔹 Predictive Risk Indicator Finder - Surface leading indicators of trouble before it arrives. Rick's standout AI insight: code review comment density per PR reveals whether slow reviews mean complexity or avoidance—and they require different interventions
🔹 Vanity vs. Value Metrics Audit - Diagnose your current report and swap vanity metrics for value metrics. Six out of eight common PM metrics are vanity. Find out which ones—and what to replace them with.
AI's Role in All of This: AI can automate all the activity tracking—leaving you free to focus on outcome measurement, impact analysis, and inventing metrics that tell the parts of the story nobody else is telling.
"AI can't do for you what it can't do through you."
Your Non-Negotiable Experiment:
- Build your outcome metrics dashboard using Prompt 1
- Replace at least one vanity metric in your next status report with a value metric Notice: How do stakeholders react when your report actually answers their questions?
Episode Timestamps:
- [02] Data rules everything—but we're measuring wrong
- [04] Activity vs. outcome metrics explained
- [06] The lawyer analogy: building cases, not reports
- [08] What to actually measure (value, time to impact, quality, team health)
- [11] AI's role in automating tracking vs. freeing PMs for outcomes
- [13] Live Demo: Metrics Dashboard Designer
- [19] Live Demo: Predictive Risk Indicator Finder
- [24] Live Demo: Vanity vs. Value Metrics Audit
- [28] Your weekly experiment
Resources: PMThatWorks.com | YouTube - AI Driven PM
Next Episode: Net Operating Value—how to stack-rank your portfolio and make trade-off decisions using data that reflects real business value.
Subscribe if this changed how you think about data and project reporting.
Remember: The PM who tells the better story wins.
#ProjectManagement #Metrics #DataDrivenPM #AI #Agile #PMO #Leadership
AI Driven PM
Welcome to "AI Driven PM," the podcast where project management meets cutting-edge technology. Hosted by Rick A. Morris, a seasoned project manager, best-selling author, and dynamic public speaker, this podcast is your gateway to understanding and harnessing the power of artificial intelligence in your daily management tasks.
Rick A. Morris is no stranger to the complexities and challenges of project management. With over 100 successful implementations of Project and Portfolio Management and Agile systems for top-tier companies like GE, Xerox, and CA, Rick brings a wealth of experience and a unique perspective to the table. His credentials, including PMP, CHBC, PMI-ACP, and Six Sigma Green Belt, combined with his role as the National Delivery Lead for EPPM at Centric Consulting, make him an authoritative voice in the industry.
In each episode of "AI Driven PM," Rick will dive into the theoretical foundations of AI and then demonstrate practical applications to enhance your efficiency as a project manager. Whether you manage projects, portfolios, programs, people, or products, this podcast is designed to provide you with actionable insights and tools to transform your management practices.
Rick's approach is deeply rooted in his belief in the value of people and the importance of effective communication. His experiences, as shared in his six books, highlight his commitment to valuing individuals over mere metrics and his dedication to fostering a work-life balance. This human-centric approach is a cornerstone of the "AI Driven PM" podcast, ensuring that while you leverage advanced technology, you never lose sight of the human element in project management.
Listeners can expect to learn about a variety of AI applications, from automating routine tasks and improving decision-making processes to enhancing team collaboration and predicting project outcomes. Rick will share real-world examples and case studies, drawing from his extensive career and consulting experience with diverse industries, including financial services, entertainment, healthcare, and manufacturing.
The podcast is not just about technology; it's about integrating AI into your management style to achieve tangible results. Rick’s down-to-earth delivery style and passion for the profession make complex concepts accessible and engaging. Whether you're a seasoned project manager looking to stay ahead of the curve or a newcomer eager to learn, "AI Driven PM" offers valuable insights and practical advice.
Join Rick A. Morris on this exciting journey to explore the intersection of AI and PM. Tune in to "AI Driven PM" and discover how you can make smarter decisions, streamline your processes, and ultimately, achieve more with the power of artificial intelligence.