Performance measurement is the act of monitoring progress towards specified objectives. It has two main purposes:

1. To monitor progress towards goals

2. To guide improvement activity where performance is not meeting the goals

Performance measures are like the mileposts on the path towards our goals. They tell us how far we have come; how far we still have to go; and whether, indeed, we are going in the right direction.

But performance measurement is not easy. Choosing inappropriate measures can result in unintended consequences, with detrimental outcomes. At the same time, the outputs of many processes are intangible and difficult to measure.

The only solution is to take a structured approach to the design of performance measures that involve stakeholders, customers, and users to clearly define agreed outcomes, and then measure performance against those outcomes.

This course provides a structure that you can use to develop a framework of performance measures throughout your organization. The course also covers how to analyze and present performance data in order to reveal valuable information about the behavior of the organizations processes and activities. And the course covers ways of engaging employees with the measures and working towards business improvement.