When is a Metrics not a Metrics?!!!!

Please remember to go back and reread the four part series I did on metrics some added context into some of the things I say here.

So when is the metrics not a metrics? They answer is when it is the antidotal not numbers based information you need to gather to understand a metrics. Not to say this data is not a metrics, just that it is not the traditional type of metrics.

When we think metrics we think numbers. But as the definition below alludes to, numbers are not the only kind of metrics.

So first the definition of a metrics as we are using it is;

Metrics - a measure of an organization's activities and performance, usually this is a numerical value.

The key is usually, there is some non-numerical data that should be gathered and used and in some ways are a metrics.

For example if you have a staffing professional (SP), who has 12 hiring managers (HM) they support, and they get a good client sat rating, but when you look at it you notice only 2 HMs gave input. So you contact each HM and ask them not only are they happy but why. The why is non-numerical (or at least partially) metrics data.

In fact most client sat numbers are gathered via a questionnaire of sorts. They almost always have a place for comments. These comments are not traditional metric as they are not numerical, but they are metrics in that they impact and measure performance. If you find out by the numerical values your SP has a bad client sat rating, but when reading the comments you find out it is not the SP the HMs are not happy with but say, relocation, then the SP is not the issue.

I have said that metrics are a part of the puzzle, that you need to find out the why’s, and how’s, those how’s and why’s are Non-numerical metrics data.