Communicate Results

Report results of measurement and analysis activities to all relevant stakeholders.

The results of the measurement and analysis process are communicated to relevant stakeholders in a timely and usable fashion to support decision making and assist in taking corrective action. Relevant stakeholders include intended users, sponsors, data analysts, and data providers

Keep relevant stakeholders apprised of measurement results on a timely basis. Measurement results are communicated in time to be used for their intended purposes. Reports are unlikely to be used if they are distributed with little effort to follow up with those who need to know the results. To the extent possible and as part of the normal way they do business, users of measurement results are kept personally involved in setting objectives and deciding on plans of action for measurement and analysis. The users are regularly kept apprised of progress and interim results.
Assist relevant stakeholders in understanding the results. Results are reported in a clear and concise manner appropriate to the methodological sophistication of the relevant stakeholders. They are understandable, easily interpretable, and clearly tied to identified information needs and objectives.
The data are often not self evident to practitioners who are not measurement experts. Measurement choices should be explicitly clear about:
- How and why the base and derived measures were specified
- How the data were obtained
- How to interpret the results based on the data analysis methods that were used
- How the results address their information needs
Examples of actions to assist in understanding of results include:
- Discussing the results with the relevant stakeholders
- Providing a transmittal memo that provides background and explanation
- Briefing users on the results
- Providing training on the appropriate use and understanding of measurement results