Call 911 – Measurement Needs CPR 
Agnes E. Nanu
Associate
Booz Allen Hamilton

Introduction:

A couple of years ago, a general measurement theme was “How to implement a measurement program”. Today, most of the companies have a measurement program in place but some of them are still struggling with it. What should we do to handle this kind of situations and bring measurement back on track?

Extensive literature has been written about measurement and how to deal with it. And yet, more than often, organizations are still struggling with implementing a successful measurement program. Ultimately the measurement program looses its credibility and slowly but surely dies. How did this happen? What went wrong? What should we do to bring measurement back on track? What is an indicator? What is a meaningful indicator? This presentation addresses these questions and more by describing methods to approach, assess, and revitalize an existing measurement program by addressing its weaknesses.

Participants will learn:

• Learn how to implement the CMMI and PSM key measurement concepts
• Learn how to assess a measurement program that is already in place, and what to do to bring the measurement program back on a successful track
• Learn how to find your way in the labyrinth of measures and how to differentiate indicators from base measures and derived measures
• Learn how to identify and design meaningful measures/indicators
• Learn how to implement a meaningful measurement program

Outline:

• Key Measurement Roles – The starting point for this presentation is to return to basics and present a short overview of the four key roles of measurement, which are to understand, evaluate, control, and predict products, processes, and services.
• Key Measurement Concepts – There are many factors that lead to a successful measurement program, but three of these factors are considered key to ensure ongoing success. First, we need to have a measurement process that is tailored to the specific organization. Second, the measures that are identified need to align with the organization's established goals and objectives. Third, the measurement results need to be understood and used as part of the decision-making process.
• The Measurement Information Model is also a mechanism that provides a well-defined path to support the decision-making process. Decision makers need to have the necessary insight to manage established objectives and goals, and as such, specific measures are identified to satisfy them. Measurement results together with recommendations create the information needed to support the decision-making process. Goals – Questions – Indicators – Measures (GQIM) workshops are important to maintain continuous alignment of the indicators and measures with established goals and objectives.
• Goals vary by organizational level as do the success factors related to those goals. Roles vary by organizational level as well, which means key measures will differ for each level. The intent of measurement is to provide the measurement users with information so they can make better decisions. It is essential to include stakeholders relevant to the subject of measurement to ensure a complete, useful and effective result.
• Far too often measures are identified based on a “bottom-up” approach – “what data do I have available,” instead of a “top-down” that is driven by “what do I need to know to be able to manage my goals and objectives.” The Measurement Information Model aligns established goals and objectives with measures that measurement stakeholders need to know to be able to manage them. This model is an abstract relationship that links defined information needs with entities that can be measured. It aligns what the measurement users must know to make decisions, with what products or processes can be measured.
• Levels of measurement – Based on the measurement activities there are three levels of measurement that correspond to: base measures, derived measures, and indicators.
  • Base measures are the lowest level of data that can be collected. They are defined by a specified measurement method and represent the raw information generated by the project (no calculations are involved). Examples of base measures will be provided.
  • The next level represents the derived measures which use measurement functions that combine two or more measures to provide more information at a point in time. Examples of derived measures will be provided.
  • The highest level, the level where analysis is performed, represents the indicators, that provide estimates or evaluations of specified attributes derived from an analysis model with respect to defined information needs and support the user with respect to making decisions. Examples of indicators will be provided.
• Meaningful Indicators – Well designed indicators facilitate communication of meaningful results. This section provides guidelines on how to establish meaningful indicators as well as examples of questions to guide the choice of the right indicators, for example: Is the indicator responding to the program's goal(s) and objective(s)? Is the indicator providing the information that stakeholders need to know? Is the base or derived measure quantifying the progress towards the program's objective? Can the program use the defined set of measures to drive decision-making activities? Is the data readily available for collection?
• Methodology to assess and regenerate a measurement program - This section provides a step by step real-life methodology for assessing a current measurement program, addressing its weaknesses, and bringing it back on track to effectively support the business decision- making process.
• This presentation will conclude with a couple of examples of how to fail in measurement as well as key take-aways about measurement.

Biography:

“Mrs. Nanu is an Associate with Boo z A llen Hamilton. She has an MBA from the University of New Orleans, Louisiana, and an MS in Electronics and Telecommunications, from the Polytechnic Institute, Bucharest , Romania .

Mrs. Nanu has over 20 years of professional experience in strategic planning, market analysis, contract negotiation, software cost estimation, measurement, and process improvement. Her other areas of expertise include CMMI, Practical Software Measurement (PSM), and Function Point Analysis (FPA). Mrs. Nanu is an active member of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG), and is a Certified Function Point Specialist (CFPS). Currently she is a member of the International Function Point Users Group (IFPUG) Membership Committee.

Mrs. Nanu is a frequent speaker at project management, measurement, and process improvement conferences.”