If you got to the end of your change initiative and then looked to see if you made it to the intended destination, you would probably be disappointed. Although truthfully, you probably would never make it to the end because everyone would have given up on the project a long time ago without any evidence of improvement. To influence change, measure progress.
As a project manager, measure progress so you can see if what you are doing is working. That way, you can make adjustments as you go to help keep your initiative on track.
As a change agent, measure progress so you can help people see that their efforts are paying off. In the middle of a long change initiative, it might feel like nothing is happening despite a lot of work. It will help to have a way to say, “Look how far we’ve come!”
How often should you measure progress? Every year, quarter, month, week, day…? The answer depends on what you are measuring. You don’t want the time between measurements to be so short that you won’t see progress in-between because nothing moved. But, you also don’t want to wait so long that you’ll find out too late that you should have made an adjustment sooner. Find a frequency that will show concrete progress and also provide timely information for making decisions.
How might you measure progress?
Read more of the 99 Ways to Influence Change.
