If You Can’t Measure It, You Can’t Improve It

How do you know if you succeed? When do you know if you can slow down or speed up or keep going or stop?

The end of 2016 is shaping up to be a revving up to 2017. How many of us say “Next year will be different!” only to end that year and wonder if we really changed anything.

If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. – Peter Drucker

I’m going to make 2017 a year to measure. A year where it’s clear, from an objective point of view, that, well, something happened. Whether it was terrible, average or fantastic, it’s going to be obvious.

Working together with others brings about a level of accountability you just can’t get, by definition, on your own. But then the objective question remains: How are we doing?

Sure, there’s the gut feeling. There’s always a certain knowing, deep down, how you’re doing. On the outside, even by the numbers, it might look like you’re doing well, but you know that the real story is that you’re falling apart. Great, but that’s another story.

This is about progress and mapping it out. Having a plan and shooting towards it. Having goals, milestones, tasks and anything else that we can measure, track and improve on.

I don’t usually measure (althogh occasionally I go overboard), but I’m not sure if I’m improving. 2017 is going to be different in so many ways I can’t even count them. No, wait, I will be able to count them because I’m going to measure them. Then I’m going to improve on them. Ready?

More reading on measuring to improve:

• In God we trust, all others must bring data: We don’t set standardized processes because we have a hunch they might work, because we heard a neat idea on the radio, or because it’s the way everybody does it. We define success, try a process, and make adjustments based on the facts.
• You Can’t Manage What You Don’t Measure: Unless you measure something you don’t know if it is getting better or worse. You can’t manage for improvement if you don’t measure to see what is getting better and what isn’t.
• What gets measured gets done: Measurement is the first step that leads to control and eventually to improvement. If you can’t measure something, you can’t understand it. If you can’t understand it, you can’t control it. If you can’t control it, you can’t improve it. – See more at: http://www.littlethingsmatter.com/blog/2010/08/23/you-cant-improve-what-you-dont-measure/#sthash.ydnIzyy4.dpuf