In episode 3 of the Two Harbors Consulting podcast, we discussed attributes of measurement.
Measurements have attributes – some simple, and some perhaps a bit more complicated. A complete set of measurement attributes for an organization provide a clear, concise, detailed definition of a measure and the process used to collect it. They preserve the unambiguous meaning of the metric, and increase:
- Data quality
- Understanding and use of measurements
- Availability of useful historical information
- Ability to make informed decisions
Measurement attribute, or definitions, or specifications typically include:
- Name of measure
- Description, context, and purpose
- Reason for the measure, e.g., performance, legal, management
- Visual display of measure (indicator)
- Data elements for derived measures
- Definition for each element
- Data collection
- How data are collected
- When data are collected
- Who will collect data
- Forms and templates for collection
- Tools for data collection
- Validation and quality
- Data reporting
- Responsibilities
- To whom data are reported
- Frequency of report
- Algorithm or calculation for derived measures
- Any assumptions
- Interpretation for the measure
- Analytic techniques
- Traceability to objectives and source
- Cross reference to any other measures
