Why KPIs Keep Getting “Lost in Translation” - And How to Fix Metric Chaos
Every business has KPIs.
But very few have consistent KPIs.
Ask five people how “revenue” or “active customer” is calculated, and you’ll get seven different answers.
This problem destroys:
Reporting
Decision-making
Forecasting
Analytics
Team alignment
Trust
It’s called metric chaos - and it’s more common than you think.
How Metric Chaos Happens
It usually starts with:
Different teams building their own reports
Legacy definitions no one updates
Dashboards built on different logic
Spreadsheets copied from spreadsheets
Lack of a single source of truth
The result?
Decision-makers see different numbers for the same KPI.
How to Fix It: The Semantic Layers
A semantic layer is a single place where KPI logic lives.
It ensures:
One definition
One calculation
One source
Used everywhere
Think of it as “the dictionary for your business metrics.”
What Hexagon Does
We help organisations:
Audit existing KPI definitions
Standardise and document calculations
Build semantic layers
Implement governance
Align metrics across tools, teams, and systems
When everyone works from the same definitions, performance becomes measurable - and trust returns.
Book a Metrics Health Check: www.hexagondata.co.uk/booknow