Strategic Plan Metrics are a set of quantifiable measures that help organizations track their progress towards achieving their strategic objectives. These metrics are used to evaluate the effectiveness of a strategic plan and identify areas for improvement. According to a study by BDC, measuring progress is a hallmark of successful companies, and the fastest growing businesses were about 50% more likely than other companies to use three or more performance measurement metrics.
trategic Plan Metrics can be divided into two categories: milestones and quantifiable performance measures. Milestones are the completion of a task or project by a certain date, while quantifiable performance measures are numerical indicators such as revenue and profit growth. The choice of milestones is unique to each business, and can include tasks such as the launch of a website, purchasing a piece of equipment or a vehicle, hiring key staff, or obtaining a business loan. Performance measures, also known as key performance indicators (KPIs), can be financial, such as profit, revenue, and cash flow, or related to marketing and sales goals, operational efficiency, safety, and environmental impact.
Choosing the right metrics to follow can be difficult, but its important to decide carefully because these metrics will be the focus of effort in your company. Here are some tips on selecting and using these measures:
1. Tie to strategic objectives: Metrics should be clearly tied to your strategic objectives and move your employees toward the actions you want.
2. Keep it simple: Dont overload staff with too many KPIs to track. Choose no more than four per department.
3. Train your team: Its important to train your team on how to track the metrics. Without training, the data may not be updated or monitored correctly, which could in turn jeopardize the implementation of your strategic plan.
4. Maintain up-to-date data: Be sure your measures include the latest data and are reported promptly within your company. This is the key to making them a source of feedback on your efforts and an early warning system for problems.
5. Use dashboards: Performance dashboards are an excellent tool for tracking your KPIs. You can also periodically report progress to your team and stakeholders in a newsletter or strategic plan implementation report. Be sure to present data clearly using easy-to-understand visuals. You should also review your metrics more thoroughly at follow-up meetings held to discuss the implementation of your strategic plan.