The Distributive ENote
A monthly e-newsletter from Distributive Management 
July 2009 Issue 115 
 
 "One metric or another can function well only when managers 
 know why they are measuring and for whom... In the
 world of social value-creation, context is king."
 ~ Rowena Young, Skroll Foundation
In This Issue
enote0Excel to Dashboard in 30 Minutes
Transform your Excel data into sizzling-hot insight

It's not just about collecting data, or even about creating graphs from the data.  It's about getting answers - answers that help you manage with confidence and conviction.  In one short webinar we'll deliver decision-supporting insight to your desktop.

Register Now: http://www.distributive.com/prodres_webinars.htm

Join us this month for one of our free, 1-hour webinars and follow along as we begin with raw data in an Excel file and generate user-friendly indicators, graphs and dashboards for you, step-by-step:
· Identify the information need and the data source
· Pull current data into the central measurement repository
· Create a measurement report with formatted graphs
· Match the report with a project or program
· Deliver up-to-date dashboards to the whole team

See color-coded status summaries, performance indicators, detailed graphs, analysis and supporting data.  Distributive Management's DataDrill gets to the heart of your data so you can use it to manage effectively.

Date: Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Time: 1:00 pm ET (GMT-5)
Duration: 1 Hour
Cost: Free

enote1Industrial Automation Provider Contracts Distributive Management for SharePoint Integration Development 

"For this global company to be able to communicate and share status information easily while continuing to protect the levels of access and visibility based on project requirements, gives them an exceptional competitive edge," says Peter Baxter of Distributive Management.  "By integrating performance metrics reporting into their existing communication lines, they reduce costs and increase the availability of important information." 

Read the full press release: http://www.distributive.com/company_press.html 

enote4Information Starved?
4 Steps to Increasing the Clarity of Your Metrics 

Well designed metrics programs enable projects to focus on what is important and what really adds value for themselves and for their customers.  However, the effectiveness of a metrics program can easily be undermined by lack of clarity.

1. Don't have too many metrics (or too few)
Too many metrics is both a distraction and a lot of work.  Too few metrics provides an incomplete picture, failing to effectively track the real issues or progress.  The right set of vital indicators will tell the story of your results without getting people mired in useless detail.

2. Select your metrics wisely
Observed behavior improves.  Choose your metrics based on business objectives and goals so that you improve the things that matter.  Beware of conflicting metrics that send mixed messages about what the goals are.

3. Define your metrics thoroughly
Your metrics should not be left to interpretation by your team.  Plan carefully.  What data will be gathered?  How it will be presented?  What targets and alarms will be evaluated against the data?  Should any contextual information accompany the visuals?

4. Be consistent
To be valuable, metrics must be consistent over time in what they measure and how the data is gathered, as well as when they are collected and reported.  Decision-makers must trust the metrics.

What metrics should you use?

Download "Selecting Measures for the Entire Software Life Cycle" for some easy-to-apply techniques for selecting metrics that aid in managing the entire software life cycle.

Please be our guest: http://www.distributive.com/selecting-measures.html

enote3Highlights of July's Richmond, VA SPIN Meeting

Distributive Management's Peter Baxter was the evening's speaker. The presentation, "Measuring the Risk Management Process", focused on finding the right information needs to support informed decision-making.

Request a copy of the presentation

"The audience was very involved," said Baxter. "We talked about how to deal with the challenges of getting an organization to do an about-face just to begin measuring.  How do you overcome the challenges of no budget and lack of management support to even get started?"

"My suggestion," responds Baxter, "is to begin by documenting the way you do things now.  Just by documenting current processes, and then following them, an organization gains a tremendous amount of insight into performance. Once documented processes exist, they can be measured, goals can be set and improvements set in motion."

Read more ENotes on our website at www.distributive.com/company_newsletter.html.  The Distributive ENote is a free, subscription-based electronic newsletter produced by Distributive Management as a service to the performance management community. The ENote provides insight and information on performance management and improvement processes, as well as Distributive Management product information.
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enote5Conundrum: The Deadly Party
 
A man went to a party and drank some of the punch. He then left early. Everyone else at the party who drank the punch subsequently died of poisoning. Why did the man not die? 
  
THE ANSWER
Distributive Management