Measures of Success

STOP REACTING TO NOISE. START RESPONDING TO SIGNALS.

Measures of Success shows business leaders how.

A PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR HOW TO MANAGE YOUR METRICS

Organizations depend on metrics for their business. Question is, are they helping people do the right things? Or, encouraging them to overreact to every uptick, downturn, and change?

In other words, reacting to noise.

Noise is present in every metric. But, it's our reaction to noise that causes waste and stress. Too often, people don't recognize this.

Like feeling stuck on a rollercoaster you no longer enjoy.

We do and explain things that don't help us improve. At the cost of doing things that do. No need to be jittery about every change in a metric. Not by a long shot.

Measures of Success shows a better way to chart and manage your metrics, in any organization or setting. For your business processes and activities, you need to know what's working, what's not, and what to change. And why. Then, you can determine what to stop doing, what to start doing, what to keep doing.

So you can...

Jump off the metrics rollercoaster, by responding to signals.

Systematically. Sustainably.

Learn how to identify meaningful signals in a metric. To respond just right.

Or perhaps, not at all.

You'll learn how with methods easy to understand, making it obvious what activities to do next. Loads of vivid stories and clear examples from healthcare, software companies, and more. With compelling case studies from the news and personal lives, too.

"What gets measured gets managed."

We've all heard that. But did you ever learn how to manage a metric? This ain't about gaming the system or fudging the numbers. This is about delivering real value, understood by everyone, and proven with data.

Learn a better way to manage your measures.

AFTER READING MEASURES OF SUCCESS

...you'll be able to answer three critical questions for your business.

1) Are we achieving our target?

And, how often? Occasionally? Consistently?

2) Are we improving?

And, can we predict our future performance?

3) How do we improve?

And, when do we react? When do we ignore? When do we improve?

...AND HOW CAN WE PROVE WE'RE IMPROVING?

How would you feel if you could answer these questions for your business?

Measures of Success shows you how.

PROCESS BEHAVIOR CHARTS

This book teaches you a proven method for filtering out noise, so we can identify signals. This means we waste less time chasing our tail and more time responding to signals that really matter, heading off small problems before they become big, or showing that we've boosted performance in in significant and sustainable ways.

Foreword by Donald J. Wheeler, Ph.D.

Preface 

Acknowledgments

Introduction 

Chapter 1: Improving the Way We Improve

Chapter 2: Using Process Behavior Charts for Metrics

Chapter 3: Action Metrics, not Overreaction Metrics

Chapter 4: Linking Charts to Improvement

Chapter 5: Learning From "The Red Bead Game"

Chapter 6: Looking Beyond the Headlines

Chapter 7: Linear Trend Lines and Other Cautionary Tales

Chapter 8: Workplace Cases and Examples

Chapter 9: Getting Started with Process Behavior Charts

Appendix A: How to Create Process Behavior Charts

Appendix B: Summary of Key Points

Appendix C: Additional Resources 

About the Author