Using Meaningful Metrics to Improve Alignment and Delivery

This IDC Perspective discusses the meaningful metrics to drive meaningful behavior and outcomes. Given the multitude and sometimes competing demands on technology leaders and teams, the metrics they use matter. Meaningful metrics drive meaningful behavior. Meaningless metrics drive meaningless behavior. Meaningful metrics focus the attention and work of technology leaders and teams on what matters most - to the broader organization and the technology organization. There are both guidelines and a process for defining and using metrics to drive meaningful behavior and outcomes. These guidelines are for meaningful metrics:Align with strategyMeasure outcomesRepresent reality Measure processes, not peopleAre few in numberAre mostly nonfinancialShow trendsAccording to Niel Nickolaisen, adjunct research advisor for IDC's IT Executive Programs (IEP), "Defining and using metrics comes with elements of risk. Technology leaders need to use metrics to track outcomes and progress. The risks come from metrics that are not effective or that lack integrity or that are not cascaded from the organization's priorities. There are guidelines and a process that leaders and teams can use to improve the quality and effectiveness of metrics and lower the associated risks."