“You can’t improve what you don’t measure.”
Keys to Management Success: Measurement
Measurement is critical to management improvement efforts associated with the Attributes. A measurement system serves many vital purposes, including focusing attention on key issues, clarifying expectations, facilitating decision making, and, most importantly, learning and improving.
Successful measurement efforts often are:
- Viewed as a continuum, starting with basic internal tracking, and, as needed and appropriate, moving to more sophisticated baselining and trend analysis, development of key performance indicators, and inclusion of externally oriented measures which address community sustainability interests
- Driven by and focused on answering questions critical to effective internal management and external stakeholder needs (e.g., information needed to allow governing bodies to support large capital investments comfortably)
- Supported by a well-defined decision framework assuring results are evaluated, communicated, and responded to in a timely manner
Deciding where to start and what to measure can be challenging. Measures can also be taken out of context. While an essential tool in the self-improvement process, measurement is not the only tool and should be approached, structured, and used thoughtfully.
