Tracking work performance with key work performance indicators

In previous articles, we’ve discussed Project Management vs. Work Management and How to Lead the shift from Project Management to Work Management. The shifting methodology and mindset means that your traditional measures of performance tracking also need to change. Work Performance indicators are a modern way of demonstrating value and informing executives or managers about the state of work in your organization. As part of Capgemini’s partnership with Workfront, these are the key indicators our clients are interested in as they make the Work Management transition.

Mix

As you move to track all work in your organization, it is critical to understand the balance of work required to run the organization vs work performed to change and improve the organization – “keeping the lights on” against “creating new.” Mix measures how much of your effort is being expended to supporting strategies and goals for the overall organization. Individual pieces of work are categorized based on what they are in support of, allowing executives an at-a-glance view of resource capacity being used for value creation.

Velocity

Is your work being performed on time, and are you meeting your commitments? Velocity tracks cycle time for packages of work, and performance to expectations. Baselining the organizations capability to produce allows you to set expectations on throughput and overall capacity, as well as fine tuning commitments and strategic planning for the future.

Engagement

Workers want to do interesting work, work that they believe drives progress to their goals and the company’s goals. Engagement tracks workers interest in the work they are producing, through their feedback on three key questions: Did you understand what was expected of you? Did the work you were assigned make a difference to the organization? Did you do great work? When your engagement metric starts running low, you know that you have to level set with your workforce on how their work serves the grater goals of the organization. When your engagement is high, you can know that your workforce is proud of the work that they do.

Quality

Part of the feedback loop is ensuring that your organization’s work product meets the expectations of your constituents. Quality measures this, sometimes as simply as asking your customer whether they are satisfied on a scale of one to five. The key is to know whether your customer got what they expected from the work your team performed – perfection is never the goal. Satisfaction is.

Capacity

How much are you capable of achieving? Do you have the workforce to meet your strategic goals, and are you utilizing them effectively? Capacity measures how much work your team is able to achieve, and how utilized they are. Tuning your organization based on utilization of different types of skills and needs will refine your work throughput and drive your strategic goals.

What really matters?

These five metrics can improve your performance and hone your competitive edges and differentiators. We are all coming to the realization that our workforce is our greatest engine for growth – if your workforce is engaged, doing the right mix of work, outputting quality work at a high velocity, with your capacity maximized, you are best equipped to meet your goals for the future. A modern work management system will help you by tracking, displaying, and managing your work to these key indicators.

This blog is co-authored by Alon Tirosh

Matthew Brada is a process re-engineering work management expert and owns the alliance between Capgemini Group and Workfront. You can contact him at matthew.brada@capgemini.com or 214-263-9681.

Matthew Brada

Expert in Process Re-engineering, Project Management

Director, Capgemini Workfront practice
I am an expert consultant in project management and process reengineering in the healthcare, technology, banking and food services management industries, working on efficiency strategies between departments, such as marketing, finance, HR, and IT services.
I manage the Capgemini alliance with our partner Workfront by leading cross-functional teams across CA NA that cross pollinate and grow achievements within Workfront projects. This includes developing account teams through recruitment and management, marketing, project management, employee management, sales, brand management, customer service, demand creation, customer management, sales, and event promotion.
Sector and Subject Expertise
Retail
Manufacturing
Banking
Government
Marketing Operations
PMO Development
Business Services
Awards
Capgemini Top Gun
And another thing….
I’ve served in the United States Marine Corp. Semper Fi.