Metrics drive improvement. As Peter Drucker once said, “What gets measured, gets done.”
When an athlete reflects on his performance, he doesn”t simply rely on his feelings and how he felt when he was on the court. He digs into his metrics and statistics, including shooting percentage, free throw percentage, number of rebounds, etc. Using this valuable data, the athlete can usually be coached and motivated to increase his results in the future.
In most regards, metrics are a good thing. Companies need to establish measurements and analyze them regularly to identify opportunities for improvement. However, just because you can measure something doesn’t mean you should. While a chart or graph might look pretty, if it doesn’t tell you the facts you need to know, it can be a waste of time and energy. To be effective, feedback and measurement need to have a clear and specific purpose.
Consider the following questions to analyze your company dashboard/metrics:
- Is the report providing me with the information I need to improve results?
- Is it providing my people with critical feedback so they can make adjustments?
- Do my employees really use this? (or are they gathering the data only because they “have to”)
- Does the data motivate individuals to do better in the area that’s being measured?
- Are the metrics linked to the overall goals of the organization?
With the metrics from your company’s dashboard, plus some clarifying questions like these, you can start to identify trends in your organization and opportunities for growth.
