Tracking security KPIs is one of the fastest ways to see whether your GRC program is becoming more effective or just busier.

That matters because not every metric deserves a place in your reporting pack. Some numbers look useful but do not change decisions, improve risk visibility, or help with compliance in any meaningful way.

This checklist is a simple way to pressure-test a metric before you start tracking it.

1. Does the KPI Directly Support Governance, Risk, or Compliance Objectives?

Start with the obvious question: why does this KPI exist?

If a metric does not help you manage risk, improve control performance, support audit readiness, or steer the program, it is probably not worth the reporting effort.

Examples:

  • Weak KPI: total number of risks logged
  • Better KPI: percentage of high-risk assets without mitigating controls

The second metric says something about actual exposure. The first mostly tells you that people are entering rows into a register.

2. Can You Take Action Based on It?

A useful KPI should lead to a response. If the number moves in the wrong direction, someone should know what to do next.

If no action follows from the result, the KPI is usually just dashboard decoration.

Examples:

  • Weak KPI: number of vendor risk assessments completed
  • Better KPI: percentage of high-risk vendors with a remediation plan in place

The second version helps you understand whether risk treatment is actually happening, not just whether an assessment step was completed.

3. Can You Measure It Consistently Without Excessive Manual Effort?

Some KPIs are attractive in theory and painful in practice. If a metric requires constant manual collection, interpretation, and cleanup, it usually decays over time.

Choose measures that can be collected consistently enough to remain trustworthy.

Examples:

  • Weak KPI: security posture improvement score
  • Better KPI: percentage of business-critical applications reviewed for security in the last 12 months

Specific beats vague. If people cannot tell how the KPI is calculated, they will not trust the result.

4. Does It Show Improvement or Decline Over Time?

Good KPIs help you track direction, not just status. A one-time number can still be useful, but most program metrics become more valuable when viewed as a trend.

Examples:

  • Weak KPI: total number of audit findings
  • Better KPI: time taken to remediate audit findings by severity level

Trend-friendly KPIs help you answer whether the program is improving, stalling, or slipping.

5. Is It Focused on Outcomes, Not Just Activity?

Activity metrics are easy to collect, but they often overstate progress. Doing more tasks does not automatically mean risk is lower.

Outcome-based metrics are usually better because they say something about the state of control, exposure, or remediation.

Examples:

  • Weak KPI: number of security exceptions requested
  • Better KPI: percentage of security exceptions with compensating controls

That shift moves the focus from paperwork volume to whether risk is being handled responsibly.

6. Does It Help Without Creating Unnecessary Overhead?

Every KPI has a maintenance cost. Someone has to define it, collect it, interpret it, and report on it. The best ones justify that cost.

Avoid metrics that create a lot of reporting effort and very little program value.

Examples:

  • Weak KPI: number of security training sessions held
  • Better KPI: percentage of high-risk controls automated versus manually enforced

This kind of metric says more about operating efficiency and control maturity than simply counting activity.

7. Is It Relevant to Your Organisation?

Context matters. A KPI that makes sense for one organisation can be irrelevant for another.

Choose metrics that match your operating model, risk profile, regulatory environment, and control landscape.

Examples:

  • Weak KPI: number of unauthorised badge entries into office buildings
  • Better KPI: percentage of remote employees who declared their primary work location and passed an environment security check

The goal is not to copy common KPIs from other programs. The goal is to track what matters in your own environment.

Quick Checklist

Before adopting a new KPI, ask:

  • does it support a real GRC objective
  • does it trigger an action or decision
  • can it be measured consistently
  • does it help show movement over time
  • is it outcome-focused
  • is it worth the reporting overhead
  • is it relevant to the organisation

If the answer is mostly no, the metric probably belongs on the cutting room floor.

Final Thought

The best KPIs are usually the ones that make prioritisation easier. They tell you where risk is still exposed, where controls are weak, and where the program is improving too slowly.

That is more useful than simply proving that work happened.

For a concrete list of examples, see 19 essential KPIs to track your ISMS’s effectiveness.