In the final part of our series in examining how the speed of delivering solutions can overshadow proper strategic planning and long term success, we examine the often overlooked concept of measurement. Successful agile teams find their flow and release new functionality quickly, but many times there is little reflection by the team or the business stakeholders on whether what was released delivered the expected value, not just technical specifications. Therefore, it is important to ask the following question to ensure you are maximizing your return on investment and driving increased adoption.
How are you measuring your solution?
Many technology efforts are measured by whether they work as expected. Requirements were gathered, solutions developed, and success is defined by whether the solution meets the requirements. If the solution meets the requirements, teams move on to the next set of enhancements or technical capabilities to implement. However, metrics on how technical solutions will affect key business metrics are often understated or not discussed. Key metrics, such as reduction in sales cycle time, reduction in time to closure of support cases, or increased customer satisfaction, are not properly measured to holistically understand the complete business impact of an implemented solution.
A holistic understanding of key business metrics during requirement gathering is essential to ensure a solution provides the expected value, not just meets the technical specifications. For example, a company may wish to create a new system to manage their customer support requests. The business requires the ability to track cases and implement email templates to respond more quickly to customer inquiries. Though the requirements may detail the company’s desire to close support cases faster, an internal metric, the implementation should not be deemed a success if customers are submitting lower Net Promoter Scores and moving to competitors because of their new customer service experience. Therefore, it is important to measure your key metrics before and after implementation to accurately measure the benefits delivered.
In rally car racing and business, speed is often the key to winning. However, in both areas of competition, understanding what lies ahead, where to turn, the severity of the turn, and what obstacles to look out for can prevent you from crashing. MXA Solutions partners with leading companies to develop roadmaps for success from quick start implementations for small businesses to large, multi-organization integrations. Our approach ensures we understand not only your technical requirements, but also the desired value the solution must deliver to you and your customers to be deemed a success. Contact us today to learn how our team of talented consultants can help you take your business to the next level.
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