How do you ensure the validity and reliability of your change metrics and indicators?

Establishing explicit change objectives and outcomes up front is necessary to ensure the validity and reliability of change measurements and indicators. This includes defining the parameters for success and the metrics that will be used to gauge it. While reliability assures consistent outcomes across time, validity guarantees that the measurements measure what they are supposed to. Organizations can improve the efficacy and legitimacy of their change measurement procedures by making sure that metrics are in line with change objectives and that they are periodically reviewed and adjusted in response to data and input.

To ensure the validity and reliability of change metrics and indicators, it is essential to establish clear, measurable objectives that align with the desired outcomes. Utilize validated data collection instruments and methodologies, such as well-designed surveys or established metrics, to gather accurate information. Regularly test and recalibrate these tools to maintain their effectiveness, and apply statistical methods to assess reliability, such as test-retest or inter-rater reliability.

To define your objectives and outcomes, you will need the SMART framework and OKR as well. To validate your change metric indicator, there must be set success rate metrics that the outcomes are measurable and can be gauge periodically across given objectives. The reliability of your change metrics would be determined by frequents of the outcomes if desirable consistently or not.

To ensure the validity and reliability of change metrics and indicators, start by defining clear, measurable objectives aligned with strategic goals. Select appropriate data sources and collection methods, and validate metrics through testing before implementation. Employ statistical techniques to assess reliability and report results transparently to support claims. Continuously monitor data quality and establish feedback loops to adapt processes over time. By following these practices, you can produce credible and actionable change metrics.

Defining clear goals and objectives is first step to success for everything we do in life. But this is paramount when we try to drive change, and given this can oftentimes not be easy, besides just laying out the end goals, it might also be useful to set up milestones to celebrate progress along the way to drive momentum. As mentioned above, the trick is also that these milestones, goals and objectives be “SMART”, specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. The last point is important that you should have a timeline to be able to understand whether you are on track and if not how to pivot accordingly back on progress!

Having qualitative metrics to track progress is of paramount importance. It helps achieve a few things: check whether you are on track, if not you need to make changes to get back on track, if yes you can analyze what’s working well and further leverage that success factor. Ability to celebrate milestones can also help to sustain momentum and help the team to continue to drive towards the change goal!

These metrics are like a financial balance sheet or an energy equation. Energy in equals energy out...but it's not all neccesarily being captured where you might want it to go. Stakeholders ushering or educating each step of alignment while comparing the total resources, less the expenses factoring in losses of all types. Attitudes can consume or drive energy. Timing can result in diminished opportunity cost. Resources can be absorbed or optimized for the best outcome-in-time coordination. Change management requires very consistent effort and positioning.You can set great energy in motion...just ensure it's in the direction you intend to popularize as unbalanced swings with poor foundations can stall or tank. Stakeholders here are key.

Transparency is key and one should try to get as much feedback as possible from your team to establish an agreed metric to work towards. I have had personal experiences where setting the “wrong KPI” can lead to unintended consequences. For example purely looking at boosting sales short times might lead your sales teams to sacrificing long-term benefits for your customers!

Most crucial here is a diverse population of inputs to measure. Relying to heavily on any one factor could skew the outcome analyses. Once is irrelevant, twice perhaps coincidence, three times establishes a pattern. So where can we establish patterns with large enough populations to consider reliable data sources. Surely 3 of anything seems too small not to be negligible, but it's relative to each scenario. 3 cars 🚗 passing a stop light may not seem to be "enough" for a pattern but would 3 accidents at the same stop light? 🤔 Data is relative and needs context to be utilized. A number on its own, a part from its data set is...just a number until it's given context. Timing, frequency, case studies, historical data, all enlighten