The importance of gaining insight of external performance to support business improvement through effective measurement -Summary

A number of key trends have emerged from 2009, not least of which has been the emergence of a serious lack of relevant operational measurements.  Coming out of the recession has highlighted for many that the availability of reliable external data on customer needs and how to deliver to them is very limited. With a secondary challenge on how appropriate are measures carried over from the pre-recession era.

Senior executives are well aware of the impact of a measurement system on employees and managers.  If a business wants to improve the way it is viewed by its customers, a strong focus on measuring what those customers care about most, would seem to be a good idea.  Most companies, however, measure what is easy to measure, or what is important for them to measure, regardless of its impact on customers.