What pitfalls occur when metrics become misaligned with strategy, and how can organizations guard against perverse incentives?

Performance Management

Performance management in warehouse operations lies at the intersection of operational efficiency, service quality, and strategic value creation. It translates corporate objectives into measurable, actionable targets across storage, movement, and value-adding activities.

Please answer the following:

What pitfalls occur when metrics become misaligned with strategy, and how can organizations guard against perverse incentives?
When recurring performance gaps appear (e.g., rising order cycle times), what structured root-cause approaches (e.g., 5 Whys, Ishikawa diagrams, or DMAIC) are most effective in a warehouse context, and how should findings drive prioritized improvement initiatives?
In a volatile demand landscape, how can performance management reconcile the need for flexible operations (e.g., dynamic staffing, modular automation)