All cars have an instrument panel on the dashboard. This simple display gives the driver real-time information about speed, engine temperature, fuel level, oil pressure, etc. There are also warning lights that indicate if something needs immediate attention. This “dashboard” display provides the driver with vital operational information.
Tracking change progress merits the same kind of operational dashboard. The first step is to identify key measures of operational outcomes that should be affected by the change. Key operational measures are a function of type of business. However, some common examples of operational measures include:
- Productivity (output per unit of input)
- Gross sales or gross revenue
- Revenue per capita
- Cost per unit
- Uptime
- Response time
- Quality (defects per volume of units produced or processed)
- Yield or efficiency (percentage of units produced or processed relative to a maximum possible)
This is by no means an exhaustive list. It is provided for example only. You will need to determine those vital few measures that are best related to your business and the change you have made.
Once identified, construct a dashboard of these key measures that can be updated frequently and is available for all to see. A number of companies with dashboard solutions have sprung up over the past decade to fulfill this demand. Check the options available to see if any of these solutions meets your needs. An off-the-shelf solution may be much easier than building one from scratch. Regardless of which choice you make, the point is to keep operational progress on the change highly accessible, visible, and actionable.