What should you measure on a project?
Projects produce a lot of numbers. But which ones are worth the team’s time?
Measurement should change a decision
The APM article How to measure anything in project management summarises ideas from Douglas Hubbard, Alexander Budzier and Andreas Leed. Its central point is practical: measure something when the result could change what you do.
Imagine the result is much higher than expected. Then imagine it is much lower. Would either result change the team’s decision? If not, the measurement has little value.
What this means for your project
Start by knowing the project and the problem you are trying to fix.
Confluity’s free Project Setup helps you identify where uncertainty sits, including the outcome, method, change, innovation, stakeholders, external influences and dependencies.
Plan to Prove then helps you turn the assumptions that matter into learning goals and tests.
One quick action
Choose one decision that matters, then:
- Name the uncertainty that makes the decision difficult.
- Ask what observation would reduce that uncertainty.
Further reading
- Context: Read the APM article
- What: Set expectations and plan to adapt
- How: Prove it Works
Greg
Use the free quick readiness check to identify the one thing to improve next.
Use the quick guided readiness check →
