> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://playbooks.equalexperts.com/mlops-playbook/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://playbooks.equalexperts.com/mlops-playbook/pitfalls-avoid/dont-treat-accuracy-as-the-only-or-even-the-best-way-to-evaluate-your-algorithm.md). # Don’t treat accuracy as the only or even the best way to evaluate your algorithm We have spoken a lot about performance in this playbook but have deliberately shied away from specifying how it is calculated. How well your algorithm is working is context-dependent and understanding exactly the best way to evaluate it is part of the ML process. What we do know is that in most cases a simple accuracy measure - the percentage of correct classifications - is not the right one. You will obviously collect technical metrics such as precision (how many classifications are true) and recall (how many of the true examples did we identify) or more complex measures such as F scores, area under the curve etc. But these are usually not enough to gain user buy-in or define a successful algorithm on their own (see [Business Impact is more than just Accuracy - Understand your baseline](/mlops-playbook/practices/business-impact-is-more-than-just-accuracy-understand-your-baseline.md) for an in-depth discussion of this.) --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. GitBook is the documentation platform designed so that both humans and AI agents can read, navigate, and reason over technical content effectively. Learn more at gitbook.com. ## Querying This Documentation If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question. Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter, and the optional `goal` query parameter: ``` GET https://playbooks.equalexperts.com/mlops-playbook/pitfalls-avoid/dont-treat-accuracy-as-the-only-or-even-the-best-way-to-evaluate-your-algorithm.md?ask=&goal= ``` `ask` is the immediate question: it should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language. `goal` is optional and describes the broader end goal you are ultimately trying to accomplish on behalf of the user. GitBook uses it to tailor the answer towards what is most useful for that goal. The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation. Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.