The Benefits of Metrics
A metric is a standard unit used to collect and report performance of a particular IT service. While metrics can require considerable time and effort to develop and then to report regularly, there are many reasons to make the investment. For IT leaders, being able to recognize and develop effective metrics is becoming an increasingly important competency.
IT metrics help IT leaders by:
- Presenting hard evidence to business executives to justify requests for funding and resource levels for a project and to gain top-level management buy-in.
- Highlighting the rationale behind any increase in IT spending during the course of a project.
- Providing IT project managers with tools to track progress of projects and identify potential pitfalls.
- Helping with project prioritization.
- Demonstrating the business value of IT, which may include cost efficiency and process efficiency, to senior management.
- Defining directions for continuous improvement in response to customers' demands.