Dynamizing Metrics. Boys on Bicycles.

KPIs create dynamics. To create a high performing organization you need to get people dynamized. So, a good choice of metrics is key. Ask yourself “What are the dynamics you want to create?”.

Let’s go for a Sunday bike ride.

Picture rolling along a stream, the Swiss alps in the background. It’s already afternoon. You’re pedaling with your family, like ducklings in a row. The smaller ducklings are fighting a bit with keeping up, motivation is low – and it’s still a good way to get home. The boys start moaning and dropping back.

What’s the choice you have? Yell at them? Force them to ride faster? Promise them ice cream, or an hour of play station gaming?

What is the dynamics you want to create? I would rather have them put the energy they have left into the pedals, instead of moaning, and I don’t mind riding slower than I could, but make it home on our own, to be proud together.

Here’s a thought. Get them cyclometers and just activate “how fast they ride”. I think it’s not even necessary to set them a target value. They’ll start comparing, will try to keep a certain speed. In some cyclometers there’s also an indicator to show if they ride “above/below average speed so far” (the little arrow on the left pointing down).

It’s an experiment.

Using Shopfloor Tables in Value Stream Optimization Teams

Over the last years we’ve experimented quite a bit with metrics in the business world. Hands-on. Pragmatic. Visual Management.

Here’s the context. In a Value Stream Optimization project we work with a team that is involved along the whole process under optimization.

At first, we’ll picture the “Current State” of the value stream, using sticky notes and going to see where the actual work is done (See my post on Gemba. Our Office Cat.).

Then, we’ll go a bit nuts and define a “Northern Star”, an openly declared utopic state of bliss (e.g. “zero waste”, “100% delivered in time”, etc.) that will guide the team throughout the continuous optimization over the next 12 to 18 months.

Based on the Northern Star and the learnings we’ve made so far, we define “Design Principles” and a “Future State” of the Value Stream, again with sticky notes – together as a team. This Future State remains high-level. It’s not a detailed specification.

We mark out “Focus Topics” that will get specific attention from sub-teams. These sub-teams will work self-organized on specific measures to develop a part of the Future State.

To track the progress towards the Northern Star and as means to coordinate the activities between the sub-teams we work with Shopfloor Tables. Together with the team we define a set of metrics that will allow to follow-up on the impact the single measures have.

This is the Shopfloor Table we use in my team that promotes this Lean Approach. We use what we sell!

Note that we keep track in hand-writing.

Also, we leave space for more metrics to be added, and if we find out that one doesn’t create the desired dynamics, we stop and adjust, or take them off the table. The ones with a pink sticky not on it, are not yet in use, as we haven’t figured out a good way to get the necessary data – but we haven’t given up, yet.

“What gets measured gets done!” Is this still contemporary?

I have never really felt comfortable hearing a top manager proclaim this in the past. It probably had to do with the subtext I heard: process, machines, facts, results, aggregated to a top level view. I was missing the human aspect in it. The motivation, the passion of those that contribute to be successful together, as a performing organization.

But, it’s not so off track, if you pay very good attention to the “WHAT” in “What gets measured gets done!”.

This is difficult, and I have given up on trying to get it right from the beginning. I encourage you to experiment with the teams. Be open about it!

Here’s some examples from our projects that I like:

# of Gemba visits: We are the Lean Approach promotion team. So, we need to be “out there”, as well. In our team we all had a different opinion and interpretation how often were out there. Once we started tracking our “visits on site” by simply marking it down on the Shopfloor table, we were out there more often, and all of us.

# hours working on the Future: Meetings are usually packed with topics around operations, current problems. If it is your task to also work and create the future, how about tracking the amount of hours you worked on the future. At the end of the meeting mark down the hours (vs. the total amount of time). It will create a dynamic, I am sure.

% of calls answered in less than 20 seconds: This is a metric that has been here for years. I like it because it is simple to understand for everyone in our call centers, in management and support units. Also, it’s easy to display on the call center floors.

Happiness about a meeting: That one came up when we looked at our Strategy and Financial Planing Value Stream. With many specialists involved, particularly from Finance and from Strategy, that needed to meet regularly to coordinate, these meetings are key. We discussed and decided to have every participant (usually 5-10) to mark the quality of the meeting on a scale of Smileys (from happy to sad). It triggers the discussion why the participants were content with the meeting (or not) and what to keep or change until next time. There’s no doubt that the meeting quality will improve – without setting a target value.

Transparency is a pre-requisite

In my eyes the above “Happiness in a meeting” is a metric that has huge potential. Look at how many meetings you attend… And it leads to the observation that good metrics can only create the desired dynamics, if you are able and allowed to create transparency, if you are allowed to discuss things that are possibly not working well, yet.

How could you improve, if you’re not allowed to name problems, or look at reality?

It may be a long (cultural!) way to get there in some surroundings. If you truly want to energize your colleagues, your teams; if you want to tap into the potential of their passion, there’s no way around it.

In my post Green and Red Feedback. I hate String Beans. you can read about how to give feedback and have impact on your corporate culture.

The WordPress “Archives” Widget – what a pain.

Let me close on a lighter note. I’ve been struggling to sit down and write this blog post.

When I started this blog, I had the intention to write “regularly”. So, what is regularly? Weekly? Monthly? Quarterly? After every vacation? After a project?

I tried with WordPress’ reminder service that would send me a weekly, motivating reminder. That worked in the first phase of blogging, but was too intense. And, funny enough, when I didn’t keep up the weekly rhythm, the service died away (at least I think so. I may have turned it off, though. I don’t remember.)

What has been a real kick in the butt is the simple widget, I added to the bottom of my home page:

It’s main purpose is for you to navigate to the posts I have written in the respective month.

For me it has become the most motivating metric (next to the “number of hits”, of course, and your feedback) to write a post at least once a month. All it does it creates transparency!

So, I have failed me/you in September and October, but as soon as I publish this post, November will light up. YEAH!

And I am motivated to have December, as well.

Flammogramm. Fire up your Cultural Transformation.

Lean Leadership. How to Foster Fruit Farmers.