Critically important to the success of an organization is how it selects, gathers, analyzes, manages and improves data, information, and knowledge.  Also important is how an organization reviews its performance.

This category is a central part of an organizations integration and alignment, and forms the foundation of a sound performance system.

Selecting and gathering data relating to an organization is an integral part of determining whether or not processes and strategic plan objectives are working.  Any given organization should measure twenty or less metrics.  Analyzing more than twenty could result in confusion and ineffective measurements.

Performance measurement is used in fact-based decision making for setting and aligning organizational direction and use at the work unit, key process, departmental and entire organizational levels.

Comparative data and information are obtained by benchmarking and by obtaining comparative comparisons.  Benchmarking refers to identifying processes and results that represent best practices and performance for similar activities, whether it be within or outside an organizations industry.  Competitive comparisons relate an organization’s performance to that of their competitors.

Organizational performance reviews should be informed by organizational performance measurement and guided by the strategic objectives and plans.  Analysis includes examining trends; organizational, industry, and technology projections, and comparisons, cause and effect relationships, and correlations intended to support performance reviews, help determine root causes, and set priorities for resource use.  Analysis draws upon all types of data:  customer related, financial and market, operational and competitive.

The results of organizational performance analysis should contribute to an organizations’ strategic planning process.

Data and information availability are of growing importance as the internet, e-business and e-commerce are used increasingly for business-to-business and more importantly, business-to-consumer interactions, and as intranets become more important as a major source of organization-wide communications.

Measurement is critical in determining your successes and failures.  What is working, what is not?  Who is working, who is not?  You need to know!  Attend the next seminar and learn how Gem measures everything.  Learn how to correlate your strategic plans with measurements and how to create action plans to make it happen for your organization.