A quick guide to identifying potential metrics Ask Yourself For Example Resources Does it leave a trail of some kind? Employee turnover per year Current level of customer retention Database—you may not be aware of relevant data already tracked in your companyAuditors—it’s their job to re-create the past from documents Could it be projected from past experience? The productivity of programmers Growth in product demand Market research—this part of your firm might be able to give expert statistical assistance Is it possible that this may already have been researched by someone outside of your company? The average life span of a sales-force automation system The average cost of IT training for given type of user Corporate librarian—they can usually point you in the right research direction Could it be observed in real-time? The amount of time an equipment operator spends filling out forms Just ask if you can watch or ask them to keep a journal (for a short period of time) Could it be estimated with random surveys? The time employees say they spend doing some activity The percentage of customers that say faster response to problems would be a significant factor Human resources—they might be able to help with the sampling of employees Market research—they may already be doing some customer surveys that you could add questions to Could you set up a test comparing this to an alternative (i.e., a controlled experiment)? The effect of a new system on the productivity of a sales clerk The effect of a new system on customer retention Perhaps other researchers in your company could help you set up controlled experiments Douglas Hubbard is director of applied information economics with DHS & Associates Inc. in Rosemont, Ill. He can be reached at dwhubbard@hubbardresearch.com. Related content opinion The changing face of cybersecurity threats in 2023 Cybersecurity has always been a cat-and-mouse game, but the mice keep getting bigger and are becoming increasingly harder to hunt. By Dipti Parmar Sep 29, 2023 8 mins Cybercrime Security brandpost Should finance organizations bank on Generative AI? Finance and banking organizations are looking at generative AI to support employees and customers across a range of text and numerically-based use cases. By Jay Limbasiya, Global AI, Analytics, & Data Management Business Development, Unstructured Data Solutions, Dell Technologies Sep 29, 2023 5 mins Artificial Intelligence brandpost Embrace the Generative AI revolution: a guide to integrating Generative AI into your operations The CTO of SAP shares his experiences and learnings to provide actionable insights on navigating the GenAI revolution. By Juergen Mueller Sep 29, 2023 4 mins Artificial Intelligence feature 10 most in-demand generative AI skills Gen AI is booming, and companies are scrambling to fill skills gaps by hiring freelancers to make the most of the technology. These are the 10 most sought-after generative AI skills on the market right now. By Sarah K. White Sep 29, 2023 8 mins Hiring Generative AI IT Skills Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe