Managing by Metrics

Valerie Rovine
Sunflower Systems

Leaders in Asset Management

Topics

Why Metrics are Important

Metrics as a Result of Disciplined
Program/Project Management
Defining Quality Metrics

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Why do We Need Metrics?

Provide performance targets and keep us focused

Are indicators of the health of the program,
project or organization
Drive corrective action through consistent
analysis
Provide quantifiable demonstration of success or
opportunities for improvement

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Program Management A 6 Step

Cycle
1.
2.

3.

4.
5.
6.

Define outcomes
Define key performance indicators (metrics) to
measure success
Refine/implement processes/behaviors to drive
outcomes
Collect data to support metrics
Analyze metrics
Take corrective action as needed

Leaders in Asset Management

Step 1: Defining Outcomes

What is important to my program or

organization?
How do I define success?
Examples
Excellent customer service
New development on time and within budget
Systems meet or exceed quality standards and
customer expectations (minimal defects,
requirements met)

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Step 1: Defining Outcomes

Outcome drivers:
Regulatory Requirements
Internal Policies
Organizational Goals/Strategic Plans
Audit Findings
Standards/Best Practices
Changes to Business Environment

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Step 2: Translating Outcomes

to Key Performance Indicators

How do I know Im successful?

What does Excellent Customer Service mean to
me and my organization?
Examples
Efficient and effective resolution of help desk
tickets
Good system performance
Positive customer feedback

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Step 2: Translating Outcomes

to Key Performance Indicators
How do I quantify these indicators?
Efficient and effective resolution of help desk tickets

Percentage of tickets resolved in one business day or less to customer

satisfaction
Average speed of ticket completion
First call resolution
Reopened tickets
Percentage of tickets aged 5+ business days

Good system performance

Percentage of system uptime

Average downtime per incident
Database wait time
Database CPU time

Positive customer feedback

Percentage of customers rating helpdesk service as good or excellent

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Step 2: Translating Outcomes

to Key Performance Indicators
How do I define my targets?
Efficient and effective resolution of help desk tickets

Percentage of tickets resolved in one business day or less to customer

satisfaction 75%
First call resolution 50%
Reopened tickets < 5%
Percentage of tickets aged 5+ business days < 20 %

Good system performance

Percentage of system uptime 98%

Average downtime per incident < 10 minutes
Database wait time - < 10 seconds
Database CPU time > 90%

Positive customer feedback

Percentage of customers rating helpdesk service as good or excellent >

90%

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Step 3: Driving Outcomes

through Processes/Behaviors
What do I need to do to achieve my outcomes and
performance targets?
Implement ticket management system to document and
manage customer problems
Provide adequate/on-going training for help desk personnel
Implement ticket science procedures to identify themes and
common problems
Document resolutions to common problems and push
information to customers
Adjust staffing levels for peak and off times
Implement redundant processes to ensure system availability
Tune the database regularly to enhance system performance

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Step 4: Collecting KPI Data

What information do I need to effectively evaluate
my performance?
Number of tickets processed through helpdesk
Customer satisfaction with resolution
Closure rate of helpdesk tickets
Aging information on helpdesk tickets
Actual uptime/downtime of system
System response times
Customer feedback on helpdesk performance

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Step 4: Collecting KPI Data

How can I collect this information with minimal disruption to my
process?
Number of tickets processed through helpdesk

This metric was collected from ticket management system

Customer satisfaction with resolution

This metric was collected from ticket management system
Closure rate of helpdesk tickets

This metric was calculated using data collected from ticket management system

Aging information on helpdesk tickets

This metric was calculated using data collected from ticket management system

Actual uptime/downtime of system

This metric was collected through system monitoring software

Customer feedback on helpdesk performance

A survey was delivered automatically when a service ticket is closed

Also, a broader survey was conducted twice a year to solicit user feedback

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Step 5: Analyzing Metrics

How do I know if I am on target for meeting my

goals?
Regular data collection
Interpreting, analyzing and sharing data
Evaluations can be done from an Absolute or
Relative perspective
Absolute: Does your metric indicate you have met
your target outcome?
Relative: Does your metric indicate improvement
over time?
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Step 6: Taking Corrective Action

What do I do if Im missing the mark?

Evaluate your processes and identify areas
for improvement
Do I have adequate help desk coverage? Should I
reevaluate the helpdesk staffing model?
Does my staff need more training on the system or on
customer support protocol?
Do I need to identify alternate methods of supportcommunity super users, self-service portal, web-based
support?
Do I need more database resources?
Do I need to evaluate my hosting options?

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Establishing Good Metrics

Does the metric tie to the organizations goals?

Is the metric quantifiable?

Does the metric identify the expected result?

Does the metric take into account industry standards

and benchmarks?

Is the metric attainable?

Were impacted individuals involved in defining the

metric?
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Considerations

What happens if my outcomes change?

How do I know Im asking the right questions?
How can I ensure Im collecting/calculating the
right data?

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Questions?

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