A well-performing employee is handed the role of Head of Department based on the merit of their technical and behavioral skills. Things start off smoothly, until one day a problem arises within the department that appears difficult to pinpoint. If the head of department fits all the criteria needed to fill this role, what could be missing then?
More often than we believe, business owners/ senior management fail to fully grasp how their business operates. With the lack of any departmental metrics throughout the year, they are trapped with an idling business speculating where the issues lay.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are a pertinent part of measuring the accomplishments and challenges of any business. These metrics allow managers to receive an overview of how an individual department or the organization as a whole is performing at any specific time. KPIs measure the objectives of the organization based on real quantifiable data over a definite period of time. Depending on what leaders want to accomplish in their departments and organization, key performance indicators can change based on projects, objectives, and specific timelines.
Performance Legendary management guru Peter Drucker is allegedly quoted to have said: “What gets measured, gets done.” Performance is based on results. To put it differently, there exists a clear correlation between the key desire to achieve goals and the way people perform the tasks that lead to the goals themselves.
Based on the above, ig has created a three-week course where participants can acquire the appropriate learning to set departmental goals that will lead them to success as well as to getting acquainted with the performance management system. In this course, participants are provided with the fundamental skills to assess their team’s performance regularly and draft their personal plan for continuous professional development.
Possessing knowledge on how to write KPIs is extremely valuable for any business professional. KPIs should be developed to contribute to achieving a specific strategic objective. If they’re not developed with a specific strategic objective in mind, they run the risk of stealing attention, time, and money from KPIs that actually help achieve these objectives. Your organization’s business model, industry, and even the department in which you operate will have an impact on the type of KPI you need.
Our four step approach to writing KPIs:
- Determine strategic objectives
- Define success
- Decide on measurement
- Write your SMART KPIs
