How Do You Measure Up?
by Amber Mikesell How effective are you in your day? Throughout the week? Even throughout the year? We take metrics and measurements to quantify the success of projects and business objectives; but have you ever measured yourself against a set of personal metrics to see how you might measure up? If you are like most individuals the answer is no. Many of us have objectives set for us in our annual reviews by our management. We allow our careers or our companies to define what our objectives should be for the next year. I would like to challenge this approach. Not to say that the objectives set by your company should not be adhered to in any way. But take a moment, step out of the box and consider setting your own personal goals and objectives much as you would on a project or in an annual review, establishing metrics for measuring each on a defined basis. How might one do this when keeping up with the current pace of life can be challenge enough? As a wife, mother, business owner and member of many various professional and non-professional associations’ I do sincerely understand how limited time can be. But I firmly believe that we are makers of our own success. One way to set a defined direction for success is to establish your own goals, objectives and metrics for measuring where you’ve been, where you are, and where you intend to be in the next 3 months, 6 months, year, and onward. Does your plan have to be perfect? Absolutely not. That’s the great thing about setting your own plan - it’s yours. You have control over it and the direction you take it. If you realize six months into it that where you have been is not where you want to be, you alter your plan accordingly and add it as a lesson learned. Do the goals and objectives all have to be business related? This is a personal choice, but mine are not. Every individual has their own set of priorities: church, family, career, hobbies. The point of creating a personal plan is to place each objective in the proper category, allowing time for each to receive the proper time, attention and level of effort. Measuring each will allow you to know if what is most important to you is getting the most of you. What you find might be a real enlightening experience. It was for me. When I decided that I was going to begin this approach in my life, I started out with small steps. I had always been one of those people who kept lists of their lists of their lists of their tasks (I’m certain you all know my type or you are one of me). But this was a step deeper even for me. I knew how effective keeping proper metrics and measurements on a project had been for me, trending and learning throughout. I thought if it could be equally as effective in helping me see how to organize my life, it was worth a try. The remainder of this article will walk you through how I have applied a metrics and measurements process against my life to set direction. It has worked for me; it may or
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may not work for you. It is an option that I extend and you may choose to apply or adapt as you see fit.
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Begin with a small goal or objective – or a small set of goals or objectives. Example: o Spend more time with son in Scouts Establish subtasks to reach this goal or objective. Examples: o Help build Pinewood Derby Car Determine car style 5 weeks prior to race Research car specs 4 weeks prior to race Begin to build 3.5 weeks prior to race Test run 2 weeks prior to race Finishing touches 1 week prior to race Attend Pinewood Derby o Attend June 10 Camping Trip Determine what gear is needed for trip 2 weeks prior to trip Pack gear 1 week prior to trip Etc… o Attend Awards Ceremony…. Establish your metrics for tracking the success of each task, but keep in mind that making a date does not mean that you were successful in reaching your objective. In this case I had placed milestones in each task to keep us on track, but the overall objective was to spend time with my son, not meet a date. For those of us that are used to tracking things in a date-driven project environment, it becomes difficult to separate the two. At least it was for me. It took a great deal of work for me to pull myself out of the date-driven approach I had become accustomed to and realize the bigger objective. Examples: o Was the Pinewood Derby Car built on time? o Was my son happy with the design of the car? o Did my son participate in building the car? o Does the car meet all of the requirements for the Derby? o Did my son and I attend the race together? o June 10 Camping Trip: Did my son and I prepare for the trip together? Establish how you will capture exceptions or standardize so you can see patterns within your metrics. I knew that a standard metric for me would be spending good, quality time with my son and making certain work or personal exceptions didn’t interrupt our plans on an on-going basis (this is a pattern for me). Knowing this I created the following standard categories to filter each of the metrics above into for measurement: o A 1-5 Rating System for Time Spent o Work/Personal Interruptions Now that you have a simple objective, your metrics and your categories for measuring your metrics, what will you use to pull it all together and track it?
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Since not all of us have access to programs like MS Project, I would suggest Excel or a similar program. No, No…I’m not suggesting Gantt Charting your life. I’m suggesting you keep a few worksheets of the above so that you can reflect back and track. For those who do wish to see graphical representations or trending, Excel offers this as an option. For those who would rather see the numbers (Work Interruptions: 75 far outweigh Time Spent with Son: 29), this is available as well. Consider it a diary of sorts. Below is how I had tied mine together: o Worksheet 1 – Title: Objectives2005 – This is where I list out each one of my goals. Create a column to track it by: Objective Number Date Created Objective Name Objective Detail Objective Purpose (You want to be able to come back and remember why you started with this objective should you change direction mid-course throughout the year.) Worksheet 1
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Worksheet 2 – Title: Task Sheet – This is where I begin to break down the tasks that are required to support each one of my objectives. I create a numbering system for cross-reference and tracking. This assists as I begin to establish my metrics and measure them. Columns in this spreadsheet include: Objective Number (carried over from Objectives worksheet) Task Number (generated from my own pattern, you may want to develop your own) Task Name Task Detail Task Purpose (why does this task need to be completed) Due Date Completed (Sometimes tasks aren’t completed – it happens. If this does happen or they are completed late, note the exception in the Exceptions column.) Exceptions
Worksheet 2
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Worksheet 3 – Title: Metrics – This is where the true story is told. Much of this is defined by the metrics that you define and how effective you are in rating/ranking your metrics. The example I use is very open to interpretation, but that’s fine. This was for me to take a pulse check on how I was doing with my personal life. The only people I would be hurting if I were dishonest in my ranking would be my son and me. I needed to take this seriously: it was the purpose behind the exercise and the reason I had invested the time I had up to that point. In this sheet I bring forward the Objective Number, Objective Name and Task Number. I then define the Metrics that I wanted to gather (Metrics Gathered) and rate them on a scale that I had pre-established for the year (1 through 5). If an exception was noted, I made note and listed what type (there were two to select from, Work or Personal). Limiting my ratings/rankings and my exception types allowed me to measure and categorize my metrics for a clearer picture of my progress and success throughout the year.
Worksheet 3
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Worksheet 4 – Title: Graphs – For those who would like to review their progress in graphical format, I would suggest that these images be kept in a separate worksheet. It is easier to review quickly and is nicer for a onestop-shop.
Worksheet 4
How effective are you in your day? Prepare to be amazed. I was.
Author’s Bio Amber Mikesell currently serves as President & CEO of Solution Delivery Partners, Inc. (SDP). Prior to SDP, Amber held positions with such noted organizations as AOL/Netscape, Nationwide and Battelle Memorial Institute. She has diverse hands-on and management experience working in client software, web application development, hardware manufacturing, and implementation of Quality Systems such as ISO 9001 and CMMI. Amber is an active member of the Central Ohio Quality Assurance Association, the Quality Assurance Institute, the American Society for Quality and the Central Ohio WebSphere Users Group. She has received multiple awards for her service to Quality and Technology, including honors recognition from QAI Worldwide and honors mention from Manchester's Who's Who Among Executives and Professionals. 6