We want to select our first set of five to fifteen weekly metrics for our leadership Scorecard, but we are starting from scratch and do not want to choose the wrong numbers. What is the practical process for our team to select these initial metrics without overcomplicating things?

Question

Tyler Smith · Accepted Answer

Selecting your first set of weekly scorecard metrics does not need to be a complicated exercise. You do not need to find the perfect numbers on day one. Your goal is simply to start with a baseline and refine it over time.

To begin, have every member of your leadership team look at their seat on the Accountability Chart. Ask them what three to four activities must happen in their department every single week to ensure their department is healthy. For sales, it might be proposals sent. For operations, it might be projects completed. For finance, it might be cash on hand.

Write all of these ideas on a white board. You will likely end up with twenty or thirty potential numbers. From there, run them through a simple filter.

Ask if the number is weekly, if it is a leading indicator of success, and if it can be easily measured. Keep only the ones that meet all three criteria.

Narrow this list down to five to fifteen numbers that give you a high level pulse of the business. Assign a target and an owner to each. Run with these numbers for four weeks. You will quickly realize which ones are useful and which ones need to be replaced.