| Performance measurement is a process, not an | | | | toward helping the IT department get you access |
| event. It's a series of specific activities for | | | | to the data you need, with the least effort. |
| creating, implementing and using performance | | | | 4. ANALYSE: turn the data into information |
| measures, and it's not just a brainstorming session | | | | Analysis is the process of turning raw data into |
| on the tail-end of your business planning | | | | information. To make sure your performance |
| workshop. If you don't take each step in the | | | | measures are the most appropriate information |
| process deliberately, there's little wonder your | | | | you need to be almost pedantic about the |
| performance measures or KPIs just aren't | | | | analysis method you choose to answer those |
| measuring up. | | | | measures' driving questions. |
| What most people are really searching for is the | | | | Again, the PuMP Measure Definition technique helps |
| detailed, nitty-gritty, exactly-how-do-you-do-it | | | | you make it very clear what the right analysis |
| steps of deciding what to measure, choosing the | | | | method is for each of your performance |
| most appropriate measures, designing new | | | | measures, and as such, these Measure Defintions |
| measures from scratch, implementing measures, | | | | become the blueprint or specification for exactly |
| reporting measures in a useful and usable way, | | | | how each performance measure will be brought |
| and integrating measures seamlessly into decision | | | | to life. No more pie charts or percentages when |
| making. | | | | the real driving questions actually need a time |
| And because that's what I was searching for | | | | series analysis! |
| back in the 1990s, in my role as Measurement | | | | 5. PRESENT: effectively communicate the |
| Consultant at Queensland Rail, is why PuMP® | | | | information |
| was born. PuMP® is all about the performance | | | | In communicating performance information, you |
| measurement process (that's where the 'PMP' | | | | are influencing which messages the audience |
| comes from - the 'u' comes from a client who | | | | focuses on. It's vital to take care to present |
| wanted to give the Performance Measurement | | | | performance measures in ways that provide |
| Process a cute nickname instead of a boring | | | | simple, relevant, trustworthy and visual answers |
| acronym). PuMP® is a methodology that gives | | | | to their priority questions. Too many people just |
| you the steps to develop performance measures. | | | | throw performance reports or dashboards |
| And here are those seven steps: | | | | together with graphs designed to entertain rather |
| 1. SELECT: choose what's worth measuring | | | | than inform. And usually then end up misinforming! |
| Selecting what to measure starts not with the | | | | The PuMP Reporting Measures technique helps |
| question 'what should we measure?' but with first | | | | you to design a structure, content, layout and |
| being clear about the results that matter most to | | | | visual design for your performance reports that |
| you and your business. If you don't know the | | | | syncs with decision-making and helps the real |
| performance results you're trying to achieve, then | | | | performance signals jump right off the page. |
| you'll probably too many measures that no-one | | | | 6. INTERPRET: translate the information into |
| finds useful, or no measures at all. And the way | | | | implication |
| that most business strategy is written, it's very | | | | Interpreting your performance measures means |
| hard to work out what the important results are, | | | | translating messages highlighted by performance |
| because of the vague language and broad | | | | information into conclusions about what's really |
| terminology (for example: "We will enhance the | | | | going on. To turn information into implication, you |
| quality, reliability, efficiency and effectiveness of | | | | must discern which messages are real messages |
| our service delivery processes"). | | | | (and not all of them are!). If you're in the habit of |
| This first step in PuMP has you doing two things | | | | comparing this month to last month, or this |
| specifically: we first use the PuMP Results Mapping | | | | month to a target, you're probably drawing the |
| technique to decide what results are worth | | | | wrong conclusions from your measures! |
| measuring, and then we use the PuMP Measure | | | | It's the patterns, not the points, that we need to |
| Design technique to create or select the | | | | focus on with performance measures. And the |
| measures that are the strongest and most | | | | PuMP Using Measures technique shows you which |
| feasible evidence of those results. No guessing, no | | | | patterns to look for, what they mean, and how |
| brainstorming. | | | | to respond to them so you don't react to |
| 2. COLLECT: gather data which has integrity | | | | difference that aren't real, and so you don't miss |
| The process of collecting data for performance | | | | the differences that are real. |
| measures is critical to its integrity and can be | | | | 7. APPLY: decide how implication will become |
| very resource intensive. The more you can limit | | | | action |
| your data collection to what is useful, not just | | | | When you have worked out what is really going |
| interesting, the better off you'll be. So it pays | | | | on with your organisation's performance, you are |
| (literally) to be super-specific about the data you | | | | ready to make some decisions about what to |
| really need for your performance measures, and | | | | improve, how much to improve it by and how to |
| not just go create a survey or form to collect a | | | | do that improving. And you want to steer clear of |
| bunch of data that seems potentially useful. | | | | the typical traps people fall into when they are |
| There are two PuMP techniques that help | | | | deciding how to respond to their performance |
| maximise the benefits from your data collection | | | | measures. |
| efforts: the PuMP Measure Definition technique to | | | | The PuMP Using Measures technique helps you |
| be very precise about exactly what data each | | | | steer clear of traps like jumping to quick fixes |
| measure will need, and the PuMP Data Collection | | | | that will fail, blaming results on things outside your |
| Process technique to design the steps to get the | | | | control, and focusing too much on people rather |
| data you need without wasted time or effort. | | | | than process improvement. |
| 3. STORE: manage the data so it's quick and easy | | | | TAKING ACTION: |
| to access | | | | Where is your performance measurement |
| Where and how you store your data directly | | | | process strong, and where is it weak? Flowchart |
| determines what data you can access, when and | | | | the steps you take to select, collect, store, |
| how quickly you can access it, how easy or | | | | analyse, present, interpret and apply performance |
| difficult it is to access and how much | | | | measures to find where you could get the biggest |
| cross-functional use you can get out it. Most of | | | | improvement in your measures for the least |
| the skill for managing performance data lies in | | | | effort. Try this complimentary PuMP Diagnostic |
| your organiation's IT department, but your PuMP | | | | Discussion Tool to trigger a very insightful |
| Measure Definitions will go a very long way | | | | discussion with your colleagues. |