- Don’t assume what you’re measuring is the right thing. Usually it’s the easiest thing to measure.
- It’s a relay race, not a sprint. Look at the end to end process.
- Every metric can be gamed. So question what doesn’t make sense.
- Don’t just accept numbers at face value: ask how it’s calculated, what are the assumptions, what’s the population, frequency, source?
- The right measures are almost always about timeliness and accuracy.
- The best metric reporting creates an immediate reaction from the reader: make sure you provide context.
- Focus on process, not people or functions.
- Data does not necessarily equal information or equal wisdom.
- Measure outcomes, not interim phases.
- Source/cause analysis is the key: not just what happened but why.