Integrated Measurement- KPIs and Metrics

INTRODUCTION

IT organizations love measurement. People in IT have a quantitative mindset, and are comfortable comparing things on a numerical basis. Most can rattle off a long series of what they believe to be Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). They see KPIs as simple calculations best left to machines, or preconfigured in vendor tool sets.

Unfortunately, developing KPIs that meet the needs of IT and our business partners, is more complicated than that. It doesn’t have to be hard or arcane, however, it does need to be thoughtful. It needs integrated goals, meaningful measures, data with integrity, and specialized reporting that examines essential outcomes rather than milestones.

This narrative story provides a collection of lessons from real-world ...