• Apr 16, 2015
• Comments Off on A KPI Report in Three Questions
• cathlavery

A KPI Report in Three Questions

Your performance reports should always be focused and to the point, with a call to action when necessary.  They should never be confusing nor so long that they are boring!  Stick to the three key questions to make sure your reports stay on the right track:

What is performance really doing?

Notice that this is not a time specific question.  I’m not asking what the performance is like today, or last week.  What you should be asking is what will the performance look like if nothing changes.  Your answer should display performance measures in graphs that demonstrate the natural variability in performance over time.

XmR charts are the best way to display performance measures as they visually flag the signals of true change in performance whether it’s a sudden shift, a gradual trend, or even a change in variation.

Why is it doing that?

When you see a signal in the performance measures, don’t jump right to the solution.  Find the fault, not the fix.  You need to seek out the underlying cause of the signal, interrogating your measures and any additional data to find out why it’s happening.  You can then include a summary of your cause analysis and verification in your KPI report.

How should we respond?

Once you know the cause and have verified it, you’re much more likely to find the right solution.  Remember that there is usually more than one way to solve a problem, and the most useful KPI performance reports include options for solutions, along with the pros and cons for each.  Allow the audience to make an informed decision about the best way to respond to the performance measure.

Could your KPI Performance Reports do with a fresh approach?  If you need some help or advice, get in touch.