Improve your performance by measuring what matters
Measurement is something that has become increasingly overcomplicated over the years, and now often requires centralised teams to monitor and report on KPIs. Benchmarks and targets just muddy the water and make it harder to discern useable information. One of our strengths is demystifying measurement, working with organisations to set measures that matter; ones that link to your purpose, and drive improvement activity. Here is Ad Esse’s approach to help you measure what matters.
“When it comes to business, you can’t improve what you don’t measure”
– Michael Hyatt
Start with ‘Why?’
Many of you will have read Simon Sinek’s book – ‘Start with Why’ (if not I recommend you watch this short Ted Talk extract about the concept here). By starting with ‘why’, you can develop effective outcome measures. In the video below, Rhiannon Gibbs explains an acid test you can do to make sure you’re measuring what matters, and give you a couple of examples of this in action.
Embed measurement into your daily routine
Once you know what you’re measuring and why, you need to make a habit of regularly looking at your measurement results and using them to drive improvements. Asking the ‘so what question’ when reviewing performance information is critical. The outcome of looking at a measure might be some decisive action, more measurement to understand what you are seeing better, or deliberate inaction if the measure is showing everything is on track.
Doing this often requires the formation of new habits. You can embed measures into your schedule using Information Centres which are effective tools for displaying and taking action on metrics. For more details about Information Centres, take a look at the Information Centre guide on our Knowledge Hub. For help with rolling out Information Centres in your organisation, email hello@ad-esse.com.
Mindshare focus on outcomes
At the Festival of Marketing, Julie Bolsom explained how Mindshare are encouraging their clients to focus on metrics that are aligned with their objectives, rather than concentrating on what they think they should be counting. She said:
“Overall, it’s not just about those media metrics that we can actually collect in-campaign; it’s about choosing the right metrics, ensuring they ladder up to our ultimate business goal. And it’s really important that we understand what the client is actually trying to get out of that, and to be able to deliver properly.”
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“[Ad Esse provided] us with key objectives by challenging our thinking and really focussing on the outcomes”
– Mona Shah, Director of Finance & Information at
Grand Union Housing Group
At Ad Esse, we measure every project we undertake to get the best possible outcomes for our clients. You can see the results in the client stories. If you would like help with setting up your bespoke metrics, register to attend to our free webinar, how to design effective metrics, or email hello@ad-esse.com to discuss your needs.
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