Mission Control

Most people are familiar with the old bromide – “What gets measured is what gets done.” That’s only partly true. How people communicate about those measurements also determines not only what gets done, but how efficiently and effectively people do it.

Mission ControlAs a practical matter, it’s challenging for most organizations to figure out how to share relevant information in a way that’s readily accessible to all employees. The solutions often vary depending on the nature of the information and the intended audience. But for certain types of essential operating information that are relevant to all employees, Landes & Associates offers a tool that has proven to be remarkably effective for numerous organizations, including winners of the Baldrige National Quality Award. We call it “Mission Control” – and its design is based on several essential communication principles:

Purpose and Benefits

  • Prioritize, organize and visualize performance data
  • Display “big-picture” connection among key data indicators
  • Provide central alert system for sharing data on key indicators and taking corrective action on needed improvements

Aligning with Key Organizational Measurement Areas

  • Business goals
  • Employee engagement
  • Productivity
  • Quality indicators
  • Customer satisfaction
  • Financial performance

Making Metrics Work

  • Organize and prioritize indicators
  • Provide frequent and timely reporting
  • Keep it simple
  • Make it visible and visual
  • Connect individual and department priorities to big picture
  • Make it quantitative wherever possible
  • Set stretch targets
  • Establish predetermined actions in response to data variations

Design and Implementation

  • Identify key scorecard metrics for enterprise, departments and individuals
  • Set performance targets
  • Create display mechanism in central area
  • Develop process for instant response to data variation
  • Assign people to do data review and posting
  • Assign champions to develop and implement action plans
  • Display both period and trend data