Traditional productivity measurements assumed you could see people working. Someone shows up, sits at a desk for eight hours, looks busy.
Remote work breaks that entire model.
The Philippine Department of Labor and Employment have emphasized output-based measures for remote work and digital freelancing.
While these regulations apply primarily to Philippine employers, the framework makes sense for anyone managing Filipino VAs.
International agencies like the OECD, ILO, and labor departments across the US, UK, EU, Australia, and New Zealand recommend the same approach.
Let me show you how to set this up.
Quality Matters More Than Quantity
High volume means nothing if the work is garbage.
I learned this the hard way. I had a VA cranking out tons of data entry. Really fast. Looked super productive.
Then I checked the data.
Error rate was about 30%. Completely unusable. Had to redo everything.
So now I track quality metrics. Error rates. How often something needs revisions. Client feedback if it’s customer-facing work.
A data entry VA needs high accuracy.
A customer service VA needs good satisfaction scores.
Match the quality metric to what actually matters for the role.
Deadlines Tell You a Lot
Meeting deadlines is completely measurable.
Track average turnaround time. Percentage of deadlines met. How often deliveries are late.
It shows you reliability. It shows you workflow management skills.
Did the report arrive when promised?
Were revisions done in the agreed timeframe?
Was the project delivered before launch?
Simple stuff. But it tells you who you can count on.
Some Roles Connects Directly to the Business
Cost per lead generated. Revenue from closed sales.
Cost per deliverable unit. Time saved through automation.
Not every role works like this. But when it does, the numbers are clear.
What People Say About the Work Matters
Feedback from clients, team members, or you. It’s qualitative, not quantitative. But it’s crucial.
You can formalize this. Feedback forms. Net Promoter Scores. Repeat assignment rates. Regular check-ins.
Someone might complete tasks quickly. But if people keep saying the work needs multiple revisions or the service was unsatisfactory, that’s important information.
Pure quantity metrics miss that.
How to Actually Set Up Productivity Metrics
Okay, so you know you should measure output instead of hours. Great.
How do you actually do it?
Write down what “complete” means
This is the first step. And most people skip it.
Write down exactly what counts as a completed deliverable. What makes a task successful.
“Complete” might mean approved with no revisions needed.
It might mean published live on the website. It might mean the client signed off.
Be specific here. The more specific you are, the less confusion later.
Set realistic targets
Don’t just make up numbers.
Set targets based on actual workload and role requirements.
Not sure what’s realistic? Start with a baseline period.
Track output without targets for a few weeks. Then set goals based on what you learned.
This prevents you from setting impossible targets that just demotivate everyone.
Pick tools that actually work with your workflow
Don’t overcomplicate this.
Project management platforms can set up due dates and count completed tasks.
Support systems track tickets closed.
Time-tracking platforms can supplement output metrics by showing when work happened.
Even when time isn’t your primary measure, seeing patterns in when deliverables get completed is absolutely useful.
The tool should make tracking easier, not harder.
Review the data regularly
Weekly or monthly check-ins.
This lets you spot trends. Celebrate wins. Adjust workloads if someone consistently hits way over or under target.
Look for patterns in the data. When are people actually doing their best work?
Are certain tasks taking longer than expected?
This kind of visibility helps you make better decisions about workload distribution.
Actually talk to your VA about this
Explain which metrics you’re tracking and why.
Get their input on whether targets feel achievable.
Make sure they can easily see their own progress against these targets.
When people can track their own performance in real-time, they self-correct faster.
Review and Adjust Quarterly
Check every few months whether your metrics still make sense.
As responsibilities shift or your business grows, the outputs that mattered six months ago might not be the right focus today.
Recognize strong performance
When someone consistently exceeds targets, that should lead to something positive.
Increased rates. Bonuses. Expanded responsibilities. Clear acknowledgment of their contribution.
People repeat behaviors that get recognized.
Use Metrics to Find Training Gaps
Multiple VAs struggling with the same quality metric? Maybe they need better instructions or templates.
Is timeliness consistently an issue? Perhaps deadlines are unrealistic or workload needs rebalancing.
Performance problems often point to system problems, not people problems.
Why Output Based Metrics Works Better
The shift from hours-to-outputs thinking takes adjustment.
Especially if you’re used to traditional office management.
But once implemented, output-based measurement typically makes both employers and VAs happier.
You get clearer insight into real productivity. Your VAs get evaluated on actual contributions rather than performative busyness.
Start simple. Focus on what matters most for each role.
Refine your approach as you learn what works for your specific team and business.
The goal is sustainable productivity and clear communication about expectations.
Output-based metrics are how you get there.