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.
As 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
