Predecessors/Before You Begin

ITIL recommends setting Critical Success Factors (CSFs), Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), metrics, and measurements for processes and services. Metrics are used throughout ITIL's Service Lifecycle but they have particular importance to Continual Service Improvement.

Metrics

Continual Service Improvement recommends a connection from an organization's vision into metrics through the following continuum:

• Vision
• Mission
• Goals
• Objectives
• Critical Success Factors (CSFs)
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Metrics
• Measurements

Metrics can be used for four reasons:

• to validate--Are we doing what we said we were doing?
• to justify--Look! We are doing a good job!
• to direct--This is the sort of work we will be expecting.
• to intervene--This data is telling us we need to make a course correction.

Metrics can help show others what a great job you did, after an improvement is complete. Metrics also help set a common goal. Metrics, in fact, can be motivating!

University-specific risks

Universities may be less likely to have strong metrics because they do not need to justify themselves to stockholders and they do not try to maximize revenue the same way as a public company. Also, it can be difficult to translate an academic vision such as "classroom excellence" into measurable goals.