Practice: Managing Performance through Measurements
This practice leverages the use and analysis of data from the Performance Measurement System to better support key business decisions.
Purpose

Without measures, the management team is hampered in its ability to make mid-course corrections toward the achievement of key goals. Implementing measures improves management's ability to visualize and communicate the affect of changes in an organization or development lifecycle. In the absence of objective and quantifiable data, some organizations make decisions based on what is "thought" to be right. This typical decision-making through emotions needs to be replaced with a mechanism that facilitates an informed decision-making process. A well-constructed Performance Measurement System supports the management team in the decision-making process of achieving desired business results.

Measuring results in some amount of change. As data is presented to the management team for analysis, decisions must be made about the measure itself. Either the measure helps the management team make informed decisions or the measure needs modified or deleted. If measures are added, modified, or deleted, the management team must determine the impact on the organization. If the impact is acceptable, they then determine the effort required to make the changes.

How to read this practice

The best way to read this practice is to first familiarize yourself with its overall structure: what is in it and how it is organized.

Begin by making sure that the management team and those involved in implementing the measurement system understand what the key concepts are, such as:

Next, read how the various participants collaborate in using a performance measurement system.

  • The management team evaluates the results of the performance measures, makes decisions based on the measures, and provides feedback for updating the performance measurement system.
  • The measurement team maintains the performance measurement system.

Review how these groups collaborate when they perform the following tasks:


Additional Information
  • Harbour, Jerry L. The Basics of Performance Measurement. Productivity Press, 1997
  • McGarry, John; Card, David; Jones, Cheryl; Layman, Beth; Clark, Elizabeth; Dean, Joseph; and Hall, Fred. Practical Software Measurement: Objective Information for Decision Makers. Addison-Wesley, 2002
Relationships