Where do I Go From Here?

Metrics can be overwhelming because there are so many choices, but you can do well with a reasonably small effort as long as you adhere to the following four steps:

• Define measurable objectives both for the project and for running the business long- term , starting at the implementation kickoff meeting. Limit yourself to a handful of the most meaningful metrics, preferably outcome- related metrics.

• Make sure that the tool will track the data required to create the metrics you need. To ensure that the data is indeed logged, make it very easy for the users to log the information as part of their daily work, without requiring special efforts.

• Invest in "slice and dice" or babushka reports so that each manager has immediately useful data at his or her disposal from the start. This is more important than creating fancy or pretty reports, and even creating as many reports as you would like.

Keep working on metrics. As long as you are tracking the right data, you can always make improvements to the reports to fit the changing needs of the business.