| layout | title |
|---|---|
page |
Step 6: Measure success |
For a program administration team to take a pilot and move it into a fully supported program, the team has to be able to communicate how the new agile workforce program was a success and how the program can continue to mature going forward.
These success metrics can include the ability to track the activity of employees, teams, and the program overall. The team can use this information to provide consistent updates to senior management, and to communicate key milestones that reflect the program's success.
Key Metrics Every Program Should Track:
- Cross Team Collaboration (# of people, # of teams/offices/agencies)
- Number of Participants
- Number of Projects Posted
- Employee and Agency Impact
- Post Project Feedback
- Net Promoter Score
- Number of visitors on program site
Tracking these metrics automatically is the best recipe for success.
##Qualitative##
Some methods for tracking success need to be done manually and require the administration team to reach out and interact directly with employees participating in the agile workforce program. Two methods, which are recommended best practices and ensure that the program focuses on human-centered design, include:
- Post project feedback — After a project has been completed via the agile workforce program, participants and project leaders should be asked to fill out a very brief, open-ended survey that collects their thoughts and feelings on the outcome of the project. Questions that could be asked include:
- How do you feel about your role at the agency after participating in the program?
- How do you feel your involvement has improved the agency?
- What would you do differently in the future when participating in the program?
- What did you learn from your project?
- Applicant interviews — Once a month, the team administration should reach out to two or three project applicants and project leads to interview them about their experience and interactions with the agile workforce program. These interviews should be 30-45 minutes in length and focus on how the program is working for participants and how it can be improved.
##Quantitative##
Nothing speaks to measuring success than having hard numbers that can be shared with stakeholders and senior executive supports. Various tools, listed below, give the team the to ability to report on online usage and metrics.
##Target metrics##
The following metrics can be collected using a variety of tools or methods, many of which are automated. These metrics give teams several key points of interest that can used to show the progress and success of the new pilot or program.
- Who are your participants?
- Who has been creating projects?
- Who has been working on projects?
- How many people are participating?
- Which groups and departments are they from?
- How many participants are from different teams or departments working on the same project?
- Number of cross-team connections
- Collect demographics of participants such as:
- Length of employment
- Participation by department
- Typical skills or domain knowledge
- Impact of the projects themselves? (for example, audience reach, number of citizens affected, and so on)
- Unique visitors to the site hosting the program
- Bounce rate to the site hosting the program
- Overall time to the site hosting the program
- Before and after EVS Scores
##Capturing metrics##
The above metrics can be cataloged using many tools that may already be available to the team through their agency’s IT department. Alternative, more manual, methods can also be provided if the team can’t get the support they need from IT.
###Platforms###
####Google Analytics####
Google Analytics is free analytics-tracking tool that can “watch” all the activity and traffic that occurs on a website. It’s a user-friendly tool that takes some set up to get everything working. The dashboards give teams insight into not only what people are doing on a site, but how they are doing it and how long it takes them.
####SharePoint Analytics####
SharePoint has its own suite of analytics tools for teams that build their program on top of the SharePoint platform and can’t use Google Analytics. It provides many of the same information as other platforms, but can give a team deeper information about the specific people using the program.
####Google forms####
Teams that need a more manual approach to collecting information about their participants can use Google Forms as a means of gathering feedback and usage information. It links various forms that can be published or emailed; participants can report on their demographic information and submit a summary of their activity.
####Survey tools####
Additional survey tools are able to fulfill the same need as Google Forms if Google Apps are not available to use within the agency. It may be possible that tools such as SurveyMonkey, Survs, or Survey Gizmo (a small sample of many different online tools) may be available through an existing account the agency owns. If they are not available, the agency may need to secure funding to purchase accounts, enabling the team to properly gather the metrics it needs to communicate the success of the program.
####Sample reports####
Existing programs also use different dashboards and reports to track the overall activity of participants and the success of their programs. These tools may give program teams an idea of the type of information that can be gathered and how it can be displayed for stakeholders and senior executive support.
