TABLE OF CONTENTS The greatest danger for most of us is not that our aim is too high and we miss it, but that it is too low and we reach it.
Michelangelo
The objective of creating and monitoring measures is to drive results. When you:
Monitor a specific measure
Show interest by asking for details and clarifications
Provide input on desired results
It is a clear method of providing direction leading to specific results. A complete, accurate, and well-defined set of measures is a critical tool in achieving alignment between requirements and performance.
It is not unusual to have some amount of misunderstanding in the various forms of measures used to characterize performance. It is important to understand how measures fit with one another because they need to be aligned, and they need to be assigned to individuals who have the authority and resources to achieve them.
At the top of the hierarchy of measures is the Strategic Plan that is being pursued. Positive results in each of the measures below the Strategic Plan should help ensure successful completion of the Strategic Plan.
Immediately below the Strategic Plan are Critical Success Factors. A Critical Success Factor is a measure that describes the "bottom line" performance for an organization. A Critical Success Factor cannot be directly controlled but results from the cumulative effects of Key Measures.
Below Critical Success Factors are Key Measures. A Key Measure is a factor that directly contributes to variation or change in Critical Success...
