SPARA Metric Catalogue

1.0 Purpose of the Catalogue

The SPARA Metric Catalogue is designed to remove the confusion and guesswork surrounding the vast landscape of organisational metrics. It provides clear, actionable guidance on the types of metrics available, what they mean, when to use them, and how they work together to provide meaningful insight.

For many teams, the problem isn’t a lack of data — it’s an overload of the wrong metrics or an underuse of the right ones. This catalogue addresses that problem by demystifying common metric types and offering a foundation for performance-driven reporting.

It supports the PIC (Performance Intelligence Cycle) by enriching Phase 2: Identify the Right Metrics, and serves as a standalone reference for performance, governance, and reporting professionals.

2.0 Who This Is For

Performance managers, data leads, and analysts
Service and product owners
Governance and compliance teams
Strategy and operations executives
Agile, DevOps, and Lean practitioners

3.0 How to Use This Catalogue

Use it as a look-up table when designing or refining metrics
Compare different types (e.g., SLA vs XLA vs KPI) side by side
Understand the maturity level, data needs, and decision value of each metric
Build your dashboards using combinations of metrics that reinforce each other
Introduce standardisation in metric design and performance conversations

4.0 Format and Access

The core version of this catalogue is available in an easy-to-navigate Excel (.xlsx) format, which supports:

Filtering by metric type, category, or use case
Searching for key terms (e.g., “availability”, “experience”, “risk”)
Linking each metric to SPARA Levers and PIC phases
Expanding into domain-specific extensions or industry packs

A PDF version and web-based viewer will also be available for quick access, with visual groupings and summary tables.

5.0 Types of Metrics Covered

This catalogue includes (but is not limited to):

SLAs (Service Level Agreements)
OLAs (Operational Level Agreements)
XLAs (Experience Level Agreements)
KPIs (Key Performance Indicators)
OKRs (Objectives and Key Results)
Agile/Flow Metrics (Cycle time, Lead time, WIP, Throughput)
Outcome Metrics (Value delivery, Benefit realisation, Strategic alignment)
Custom Metrics (Blended or calculated indicators for unique needs)

Each entry explains:

What the metric is
How it works
When to use it
Where it fits in the PIC
Which SPARA Levers it supports

6.0 Open and Commercial Models

The base catalogue is offered as a free SPARA resource in the annex. However, industry-specific versions (e.g., healthcare, finance, IT operations, government) will be made available as commercial products with tailored metrics, reporting formats, and templates.

Clarity in measurement is clarity in management. This catalogue is designed to be your compass in a crowded metrics landscape.