Each measure should be…
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Relevant |
Does the measure attempt to capture success in one of the organisation's objectives?
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What does the measure tell you about how the organisation is performing?
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Able to avoid perverse incentives
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Does the measure encourage any unwanted behaviour? (For example not reporting mistakes)
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Could you improve performance against the measure without improving performance in real life?
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Does the measure allow innovation? For example, does the measure discourage changing the way a service is delivered?
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Attributable |
Can the measure be influenced by the organisation's actions?
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Is it clear where accountability for the measure lies?
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Is there an estimate of the degree to which the organisation affects the measure?
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Could a SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timed) target be set against the measure?
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Well-defined |
Can the measure be expressed clearly, so that it is easy to understand?
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| Does the measure have an unambiguous definition, so it can be collected consistently?
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Timely |
Does the measure provide information in time for action to be taken?
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What's the lag between the event and information becoming available?
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Does the measure provide information frequently enough to track changes and take actions?
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Reliable |
Is the performance measure accurate enough for its use?
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Has the measure been checked by appropriate specialists? (for example statisticians, social researchers, accountants or scientists)
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Is the measure responsive to change? Will it show significant changes in performance? Will the measure change because of random 'noise' rather than actual performance?
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Comparable |
Does the measure allow comparison with past performance?
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Does the measure allow comparison with other organisations delivering a similar service?
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Verifiable |
Given the documentation could an objective outsider come up with the same results?
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Does documentation exist so that the process behind the measure can be validated?
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