The Point: – The compilation and coordination of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are taken very seriously by numerous companies for good reason. They often determine the business strategy the company will accept, and the strategies that should be rejected. Their compilation acts as a tool that differentiates the company from other competitors. So if you ask some business owners, they will tell you that the essentiality of business KPIs can never be over-emphasized. When your company needs turnaround management, business KPIs can help you drive back your sales, profits, and even make your company’s growth surpass previous levels. Nonetheless, if they are not managed appropriately, they can be detrimental to your business strategy. So in this post, we’ll explore the topic of Turnaround Management: Do Your KPIs Tell You It’s Time?… Enjoy!

DO YOUR KPIs TELL YOU IT’S TIME?

Your Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) tell you whether it’s time to make changes in your business or not. Basically, the reason why companies rely on KPIs is to know if the things that are being done in the company are having a real effect on the business, measuring performance in a variety of categories. You can invest all your time and energy in getting so many tasks done by your company, only for your business KPIs to tell you that your performance needs improvement. You may think you have the best business strategy, but unknowingly to you, it is not effective enough. KPIs can indicate to you that there is need for turnaround management before the problems of the company present themselves (And if you’re like most of the organizations I consult with, there typically are one or two problem areas present regardless of how smoothly run the operation is!) Companies that track their KPIs and take it with seriousness rarely face worst state issues.

IT’S ALL ABOUT BUSINESS STRATEGY!

Measurement of business’ KPIs indicates to the leader how much, or the number of something, there is and allows for compare/contrast analysis between the different measurements taken (i.e.. total revenue last month versus previous month, year-to-date average, last year same month, etc.) The metrics and measurements however tell managers that it is time to add something to the business strategy or remove something.

KPIs FOR BETTER PROJECT/RESOURCE/TEAM MANAGEMENT

A company that does not rely on business KPIs will find it more difficult to manage projects, resources, and massive teams, when compared to a company that tracks and measures KPI. This is the advantage of companies that rely on KPIS that makes them rarely face issues in the worst situations. Every business owner should see the measurement of KPIs as a perspicacious idea, and use it to decide “next steps” for their business.

WHO SHOULD COMPILE KPIs?

Since your KPIs tell you it is time to make changes in various aspects of your business, it should never be taken as a trivial tool. If possible, employ a qualified person that can measure KPIs with data integrity/consistency, and at the same time decipher it for you. Your KPIs will guide you positively in so many ways, so it should be measured regularly, and followed-up properly to avoid unnecessary and superfluous turnover of processes/procedures/management.

SUMMARY

In this post we’ve explored the Turnaround Management topic of KPIs, namely if they are telling you it’s time to move your business around. Your KPIs are a toolkit that shares a lot of important metrics by which you can drive your business forward with from analysis. Not measuring leads to not managing, and may cause you to miss out on important turnaround opportunities!

Sam Palazzolo

PS – If you/your organization has challenges as a result of Turnaround Management activity, please don’t hesitate to drop me a line and request future post titles! Here are a few other titles that are currently in the works:

• What Role Does Technology Play in Turnaround Management?
• The Tough Work of Turnaround Managment – 4 Tips!
• Why Companies Fail or Enter a Declining Period during Turnaround Management
• The Stages of Corporate Turnaround
• The Stages of People Turnaround Process