Part 1 (1/2)
Metrics: How to Improve Key Business Results
by Martin Klubeck
About the Author
Martin Klubeck is a strategy and planning consultant at the University of Notre Danized expert in the field of practical ree from Webster University in human resources development and a bachelor's in computer science froanizations Struggle So Hard to Improve So Little and nu the complex has led to the developful metrics Klubeck is also the founder of the Consortiuy Perfor much-needed standards for measures
About the Technical Reviewer
Russ Cheesy professional and consultant with experiences in all phases of the System Development Life Cycle Much of his career had been devoted to enabling IT solutions for business probleer and practitioner in /financial, , construction, retail, pharmaceutical, telecommunications, and health care Mr Chees business perforeh the use of business strategy, balanced scorecards, metrics, key performance indicators, and business analytical systems
Mr Cheesman was happy to serve as the senior technical reviewer for this book and related concepts on metrics, and looks forward to its release and subsequent value to all those individuals, groups, and organizations that desire improvement, continuous ment, as I understand it, is to let those people who helped et their contributions This chorea book
I don't want to forget any of , critiquing, or suggesting edits to the work as it was in progress, especially: Don Padgett, Danita Leese, Leah Lang, Keith (Mac) McIntosh, Marin Stanek, andThanks for the short-notice reads Thanks for the kind words And thanks for being there
Of course, Russ Cheesman has to be thanked for his work as reed as often as we agreed about metrics and their use, when asked for a recoht of Russ for the job His honest and passionate position, his large knowledge base, and his expertise made him an easy choice Thanks, Russ, for your hard work, your estions, and your honest appraisals
I want to give a special thanks to Michael Langthorne Not only were you my most dependable reviewer, but your early and consistent encouragement to take this journey, onthis work I appreciate your help, guidance, and gentle but steady shoves very much Thanks I truly could not have done this without you
I also want to thank Jeff Olson, Kih youyour jobs,” I can't say I saw you that way I greatly appreciate your help You were honest, consistent, and fair You were focused on producing the best product possible for Apress while showing sincere concern for my position as an author So the first round
Last, but as the saying goes, not least, I want to thank my family Especially ned interest in ress, if not in the work itself I appreciate the effort and I love you dearly Alyssa, thanks for your help with the fairy tales and allowingyour name on more jacket covers I love you
And a final, special thank you to you, whoever you are, reading this book You are special-you ements unless they think they'll find their name listed So you must be one of the rare people who read books from cover to cover That means you may also be the type of reader ill use the es You hts, likes, and dislikes So, here's to hoping I hear from you and thanks in advance for any feedback you choose to share I hope this book helps you navigate the so metrics
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Note: While I have worked hard to provide you, the reader, with real examples (real situations, interactions, experiences, measures, and data), I had to te the privacy and data owned by others To this end, I have, where necessary, blended and combined individuals into composites I have also done the same with data As you will read, I fully believe that data is ”owned” by the provider(s) of that data, so I have protected the identities and data of those whose experiences I used for much of this book
Metrics: The Basics
An Introduction
Of all the possible organizational-improvement tools, metrics stands out for me as theive you the What, Why, When, Where, Who, and How
What
Metrics can be defined ina coa co Usually, the idea is to ih, you ant to focus on i you in back to ianization
Metrics are a tool for improvement By their nature, metrics use different levels of information (data, measures, inforh I always strive to make this story co In h of what's important to help with the improve you deter in the first place, hoell your efforts have worked (did you improve and did you improve as much as you wanted?), and what the new environe” because ie It doesn't have to be drastic It could , or you do so differently But, ie
Albert Einstein said, ”The definition of insanity is doing the sa a different result”
The following are just a few of the things a ram can help you do: Improve company ”health” in a variety of areas Improve customer satisfaction Improve product/service value Improve employee satisfaction I, and execution Provide a basis for change What to change When to change How to change Lay a foundation for understanding your organization by providing insights into strengths problems
weaknesses
opportunities
Metrics are about change for the purpose of ies to follow a e area of an organization I also offer guidance on how to develop individual s I'm an idealist, and you'll see that reflected in my belief that metrics can be a powerful tool for improvement
Why
Why metrics? To improve I know I've already stated that But, why metrics specifically? Why not use any of the otheris, any of the methods you choose will require you to use metrics-or at least the components of metrics (data, measures, or information) As a foundation, these i state so that after you iy for improvement, you will see hoell the improvement procedures worked All of these methods also want you to measure the amount of time, money, and effort that went into the improvement effort But none of that will actually help you i you want to improve!
Metrics help you in some basic ways that make it an important tool for ihts into the thing you want to iht is valuable to those doing the job-fulfilling the need or providing the service It helps theht, often in a more complete picture It will help them find ways to improve It will also help them see the benefits they've reaped It will provide cherished feedback that the team can use to make continuous improvement a reality (instead of the latest catch-phrase)