When Metrics Miss the Mark

That’s when it clicked for me. Raw metrics aren’t enough, not if your goal is to actually move people. Data isn’t persuasive on its own—it needs a story to tie those numbers to something that matters.

Because here’s the thing. If an update doesn’t lead to action, it’s just noise. We’re not here to admire the numbers. We’re here to make decisions—and the way we do that is to drive decisions with data storytelling—so every metric lands with meaning.

Why Numbers Alone Don’t Motivate

Metrics work as a tripwire when you communicate impact with data. They tell you something moved, but they don’t declare if it mattered. A velocity bump or latency drop simply means a process changed. But for someone to make a decision based on those numbers, they need more. They need context that gives shape to the change—how it’s relevant, why it should register, and what the consequences are if nothing happens next. The upshot is this. Decisions actually hinge on both the hard numbers we have and the context we wrap around them—both quantitative and qualitative matter. You can throw charts at a wall, but if the story isn’t clear, nothing sticks.

A good story has contrast. Without a sense of “before” and “after,” even dramatic metrics don’t register as an achievement—or a risk. Contrast gives people a handle. Here’s what changed, here’s what’s at stake.

So, take your numbers and drag them into the real world. That 170 millisecond latency drop liberated half a second from checkout wait times, which means users now get through payment before they can rethink buying. Eight percent fewer tickets this month mean the team can actually tackle feature debt, not just fight fires. Feel the shift? It’s not about ms or percentages. It’s about what changed for people.

Stakeholders aren’t asking for data; they’re scanning for actionable data narratives and a clear path forward. They want to know, will this make us faster, safer, more competitive? What’s my next move? Real recommendations get traction—simplifying is more than a metric; it’s a push to reduce actual steps and friction for the user. If you don’t frame it this way, you end up repeating yourself or watching your work disappear into “nice to know” territory. The update stalls, the room moves on.

I didn’t understand this right away. It took a long, quiet string of meetings for the lesson to land—and honestly, that awkward silence in the room was what finally made me take it seriously.

A couple of years back, I ended up spiraling down a rabbit hole trying to cram every single metric into the update deck. I thought it would make me look thorough, but all I actually did was clutter the message so badly that one exec asked if we were supposed to do anything, or just admire the spreadsheet. That question left me staring at my own slides, realizing I’d spent more time formatting numbers than figuring out what might actually move the needle for anybody else. I still catch myself overdoing it sometimes.

Your Move: The Playbook to Drive Decisions With Data Storytelling

Lead with the Why. Don’t start with the metric—tell them who benefits, what risk goes down, or where revenue picks up. For every number, name the affected party and describe how their world just got better or safer. It’s the technical equivalent of answering “So what?” before they have to ask.

Show the change, not just the achievement. Sprint velocity increased from 28 to 32. That’s not just a number; it’s movement—a shift in what your team can handle. Before-and-after comparison wakes people up because it frames what’s now possible, and hints at the cost of staying put.

Make it real. Gone are the days of “improved performance.” Say fewer dropped requests, or a checkout that’s fast enough people stop bouncing. Tangible stakes stick. You’re not after applause for abstract metrics; you want them to feel the difference, even if they’re not technical.

End with a Decision. Spell out what needs to happen next so you make metrics actionable—the recommendation, who’s on the hook to decide, and by when. If nothing happens, say what that means—will latency creep back? Will users churn? It’s the difference between “FYI” and “your move.” Don’t let clear wins evaporate into the ether because no one knows what to do with them.

Here’s a thought—recipes aren’t just lists of ingredients. The best ones tell you when to salt, what “done” should look like, and when to pull the pot off the heat. Metrics are just the ingredients. The decision is dinner. If you’ve ever followed a recipe that left out half the steps, you know how it feels to get an update with all the numbers and none of the direction. Get specific—because impact only happens when the metric turns into action.

Sometimes, even after all this effort, I still get that skeptical look from someone who wants “just the numbers.” I haven’t figured out how to win them over every time. Maybe that tension never really goes away, but I’m convinced it’s worth facing down anyway.

Turning Updates Into Decisions: A Real Example

Let’s look at how the typical update actually sounds—raw, unfiltered, and surprisingly flat. The kickoff in last week’s meeting went something like, “Sprint velocity increased from 28 to 32.” If you’ve given a report like that, you know the vibe. It’s short, factual, and absolutely dead on arrival.

Now here’s how you unpack that for real impact. Velocity jumping from 28 to 32 isn’t just an internal stat for the engineering log—it’s a lever for predictability. That bump means we’ve moved from guessing at scope limits to having enough runway for the next release window. The improvement cuts risk for your roadmap and shows how to present metrics to stakeholders where it matters most. Closed stories line up with promises, not wishful thinking. If you’re sweating launch dates, this is a breath of fresh air.

Let’s keep rolling with performance. Maybe your API response time improved from 350ms to 180ms. On a graph, it’s just a line steeper than last month. But what changes when a user hits the site? That cut means a checkout page now feels instantaneous—you lose less traffic in the funnel because impatient users aren’t bailing. Revenue settles up cleaner. Partners get their data in time to hit their own SLAs, not chase status updates. The metric is nice for engineering pride, but the real story is the frictionless experience—what users and business owners feel, not what the log spits out.

Now, database query latency. Maybe you say, “Database query latency decreased from 120ms to 85ms.” Good. But ask why it matters. That lower query time doesn’t just look pretty—it lifts real throughput and slices the risk of overloaded pools right when traffic peaks. Every millisecond saved here is capacity you don’t have to buy elsewhere, or downtime you dodge before it happens. Less time per query means more successful requests, fewer escalations, and, if you play it right, enough surplus to pull a launch date forward. When you present it like this, you paint a decision. Shift that free capacity to segments that need it, or lean into the earlier launch—just pick a path and name the owner.

Putting it all together, your update becomes crisp and useful. Sprint velocity moved us inside the release window, API speed increased conversion, and query latency lets us reallocate database capacity. I recommend we approve a scope increase for Q2—Sarah to confirm by Thursday. That’s the difference. You drive decisions with data storytelling—moving from stats to action, turn audience into allies, and make sure your work drives what happens next.

If this all sounds like more effort, remember why it matters. You aren’t here to list achievements. You’re here to make your work count. When you shift from bland reporting to decision-focused updates, you stop repeating yourself in meetings and start accelerating real progress. Isn’t that the whole point?

Clearing Doubts: Time, Rigor, and “Dashboards Are Enough”

Let’s get straight to the time objection. You might worry storytelling slows you down, but decision-driven data storytelling takes five minutes upfront and saves you thirty minutes (or more) of explaining, clarifying, or cleaning up misinterpretation later. If your updates actually align people and drive action, you get that time back—and then some.

And for those who think adding context blurs the science, I’ve hidden behind charts plenty of times. By “letting the numbers speak for themselves,” I thought I was being rigorous, but really? Framing impact and next steps doesn’t dilute analysis; it clarifies it. The right framing actually sharpens what matters and cuts down the back-and-forth, which stabilizes outputs. Many of my worst meetings came from dodging this, only to spend hours fixing confusion from “pure data.”

So here’s your next step. Use this framework in your next standup or deck—watch what happens. Post 7 of 11 in the Storytelling for Engineers series; daily insights. Decisions won’t just show up sooner—they’ll finally stick.