In-Process or Activity metrics are great for tracking Agile / Lean projects too. Indeed, for each team, before beginning any experiment they should set the minimum success or fail criteria. These criteria will set the benchmark for how the team will know whether their assumptions are supported by the evidence. In the end of each experiment the team should analyze lessons learned and the then make decisions about what to do next. This process of analyzing experimental evidence and decision-making is innovation accounting at its most granular level, as embedded in the scientific problem-solving methodology and the Agile / Lean create-test-learn loop methodologies.

Each metric is not equally important at every innovation sprint. Depending on the business model, innovators must focus on the metrics that matter most for their innovation stage. During the early stages confirming customer needs and validating solutions are key impact metrics. Later on in latter stages, showing traction, gaining revenues and profits are key. This is where metrics such as customer churn rates, cost of customer acquisition, and customer lifetime value become important.

Examples of impact / output metrics are:

1. Risky assumptions identified
2. hypotheses developed
3. minimum fail criteria set
4. experimental results
5. cohort analysis
6. decisions made (pivot, persevere, retest)
7. rate of customer acquisition
8. percentage of customers having a great experience
9. is the product meeting their job needs
10. are customers being retained
11. are customers willing to pay for product
12. are customers paying enough to cover costs and make a profit
13. are customers happy enough to refer product to other people
14. customer lifetime value
15. cost per learning
16. time cost per learning
17. learning velocity
18. validation velocity
19. number of patents granted
20. new business models ready to scale
21. cost savings
22. innovation conversion
23. new market segment entered
24. assumptions and knowledge ratio
25. percent of products at each stage and or gate
26. percent of products a problem-solution fit
27. percent of products at product-market fit
28. percent of products at scale
29. number of validated business models
30. validation velocity
31. returns on product development expense
32. process improvement metrics