Introduction
"What gets measured gets done".
Peter Drucker "The Practice of Management (1954)"
What a way to start an article.. if you measure it they will come..
This leaves people in a position, okay, I will measure everything, because if we want something done, we measure it. We will be breaking this down and see how we can most effectively measure results without making the measurement the primary objective of the work.
If you build it they will come...
The ACME company and the situation
To help us through this we will make a company, ACME. The ACME company has been presented with a multitude of issues with their service desk is experiencing, increase in ticket volumes, long wait times and customer survey results.
We have a conundrum
Now we have a conundrum. The management of the ACME company has been told about a set of issues, resulting in direct and indirect dissatisfaction with the service desk. The highlighted issues are important address, but are they something directly fix or is there something more in-grained in the organization?
Breaking down these issues into a little more details:
Increase in Ticket Volume - The primary engagement model for the service desk is tickets. The company is noticing an increase of tickets, why is this happening? What is causing it? Is it an anomaly or expected? Why is this happening? What is the root cause of high volume of tickets?
Longer than expected wait times - Do you get the impression when you call the service desk and you are on hold a "long time"? The experience of "calming" music and a periodic voice telling you to just hold on, for a little longer... Why is this wait time so long? What is causing it?
Customer Survey Results - Surveys, a vehicle for collecting information, this method typically has low turn-out but it can be effective. What are the they saying? Is it based on facts? Is it a statistical significant population?
Time to find the needles in the haystack...
What type of metric should we use?
ACME has identified some problem areas in the service desk, we should start figuring out how to measure this data. It is important we start some where and refine over time.
Improve operations by measuring what is currently happening.
Set the stage for Operational Metrics
Operational metrics are quantitative measures that track the performance of business processes, systems, and activities, providing insights into efficiency, productivity, quality, and reliability. They help organizations evaluate and improve their operational effectiveness, enabling data-driven decision-making to optimize performance, reduce waste, and increase customer satisfaction.
We have defined it, now lets see what that means.
Types of Operational Metrics
Process metrics : Track the efficiency and effectiveness of business processes.
Quality metrics : Evaluate the quality of products or services.
Inventory metrics : Measure inventory levels, turnover rates, and management.
Supply chain metrics : Track supply chain performance, including lead times, fill rates, and on-time delivery rates.
Employee performance metrics : Monitor employee productivity, efficiency, and quality of work.
Key Characteristics of an Operational Metrics
Relevant : Operational metrics should be relevant to the organization's goals and objectives.
Measurable : Operational metrics should be quantifiable and easily measurable.
Timely : Operational metrics should provide timely insights into performance.
Reliable : Operational metrics should be reliable and accurate.
Actionable : Operational metrics should provide actionable recommendations for improvement.
Summary
Metrics coming in varying flavors and purposes within an organization. It is important to understand what metrics are possible and what makes sense to have an organic growth based on the collection of data points and characteristics being experienced.
Understanding the context of the problem will help identify if the metric is "right" for continuous growth and development of the overall landscape.
In Conclusion, a metric is a tool and not a means to an end, if the metric is not working or it is introducing behavior that is unexpected, get rid of the metric and not mold the organization to fit the metric.