So much of what we do at work has to be measured. There is a sense that if something cannot be measured, does it even really exist? Indeed, if a project or function can not demonstrate how it is being estimated clearly and clearly, its ability to secure approval or signoff is dramatically reduced.
Metrics, key performance indicators, objectives, key results (OKRs), and measuring progress all link back to a need within organizations to ultimately quantify the return on investment. When we worked in one place, most metrics were tied to outputs – achieving sales targets, ship code, and maintaining a positive net promoter score.
Changing environments demands new metrics.
But how have those ways of measurement changed in the last year? Do they consider the challenges and opportunities that come with remote working? As Dan Montgomery, the founder and managing director of Agile Strategies, said, the current situation “is an excellent opportunity to get better at managing people around outcomes rather than tasks or, worse yet, punching a virtual clock to prove they’re working.
Many employees working from home have significant challenges, including bored kids, sick relatives, and an unending stream of bad news. They need the flexibility right now and will appreciate your trust in them. Having that flexibility is particularly critical in uncertain times. “Now more than ever, the goals that we’re setting are so critical for us to be able to navigate what happens next,” Ryan Panchadsaram, co-founder and head coach of What Matters, said.
Defining a clear vision
But how do we set those goals? One mistake many businesses make is not aligning targets and objectives throughout the industry. Whether you’re a start-up, a scale-up, or an established sector leader doesn’t matter. Without a goal at the company level, you’re lost. Chris Newton, VP of Engineering at Immersive Labs, calls this “Vision – vision needs to have an evident, inspiring, well-understood company vision that guides every department.
You’re talking about the whole wider business, not just product and tech. There has to be a direction, a clear direction for the company. Chris was speaking as part of a recent Indorse Engineering Leaders panel discussion. Once you have that big vision, VisionUnderpinning will be the product and tech side. You will have your product vision: “What are we trying to achieve for our customers through the product”. Then you have the engineering vision that underpins the product vision. It is c, and elementary to the product vision. It supports it—the engineering vision & strategy line up to deliver the best customer outcomes through the product vision.
