Watch the full video on YouTube to see these frameworks in action and grab the links to the official KPI Scorecard and Time Tracker.
Stop Drowning in Data: A Masterclass in Localization KPIs
If you’ve ever felt like managing a localization team is an endless cycle of defending budgets and tracking word counts, you’re not alone. Between juggling “upstairs stakeholders” and mounting deadlines, many localization managers struggle to prove their department’s actual strategic value.
In a recent workshop for the Localization Management Club, Giulia Tarditi (Head of Language Experience at Revolut and EU Commission member) broke down why most teams are tracking the wrong metrics—and how to shift from a cost center to a value-added function.
If you’ve ever felt like managing a localization team is an endless cycle of defending budgets and tracking word counts, you’re not alone. Between juggling “upstairs stakeholders” and mounting deadlines, many localization managers struggle to prove their department’s actual strategic value.
In a recent workshop for the Localization Management Club, Giulia Tarditi (Head of Language Experience at Revolut and EU Commission member) broke down why most teams are tracking the wrong metrics—and how to shift from a cost center to a value-added function.
KPIs vs. OKRs: Know Your Engine
One of the biggest debates in the industry is whether to use KPIs or OKRs. Giulia’s take is simple: KPIs are for stability; OKRs are for innovation.
● KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are like checking the oil in your engine—they track ongoing business performance and tell you if your current “engine” is running smoothly.
● OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are for when you want to change the engine entirely or move your function to a different role within the company.
The secret? They aren’t enemies. A well-structured Key Result actually contains a KPI within it, providing both a qualitative goal and a quantitative metric to hit.
The 3-7 Rule and “MVP” Actions
To avoid “data fatigue,” Giulia recommends tracking no more than seven KPIs. If you have more, you’re likely creating noise rather than insight. Most importantly, once you set your high-level objective, you must break it down into MVP-like actions. Instead of a vague goal like “improve quality,” your actions should be as specific as “20 minutes a day fine-tuning prompts” or “improving specific project dashboards”.
One of the biggest debates in the industry is whether to use KPIs or OKRs. Giulia’s take is simple: KPIs are for stability; OKRs are for innovation.
● KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are like checking the oil in your engine—they track ongoing business performance and tell you if your current “engine” is running smoothly.
● OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) are for when you want to change the engine entirely or move your function to a different role within the company.
The secret? They aren’t enemies. A well-structured Key Result actually contains a KPI within it, providing both a qualitative goal and a quantitative metric to hit.
The 3-7 Rule and “MVP” Actions
To avoid “data fatigue,” Giulia recommends tracking no more than seven KPIs. If you have more, you’re likely creating noise rather than insight. Most importantly, once you set your high-level objective, you must break it down into MVP-like actions. Instead of a vague goal like “improve quality,” your actions should be as specific as “20 minutes a day fine-tuning prompts” or “improving specific project dashboards”.
Ready to build your own localization scorecard? Giulia shared a plug-and-play template during the session that automates weighted scores and performance tracking across efficiency, quality, and expansion. If you’d like to receive the workshop slides, weighted KPI templates, and bonus resources, you can request them here.
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