Service Metric Best Practices

1. Service metrics are compiled and analyzed, not just collected. Mediocre infrastructures often invest a fair amount of time, money, and energy to collect and compile metrics; then they do little to analyze them. The real value of meaningful measurements comes from thoroughly and consistently examining these metrics for trends, patterns, and relationships and then applying the results of the analysis to improve the effectiveness of the particular service being measured.
2. The process is designed to provide process metrics. Robust processes include not only service metrics but process metrics. The key difference between a service metric and a process metric is that a service metric focuses on how effective a process is with regard to a customer, and a process metric focuses on how efficient a process is with regard to a supplier.
3. Process metrics are compiled and analyzed, not just collected. We need to compile and analyze process metrics, just as we do with service metrics. Analysts sometimes overlook the importance of analyzing missed process metrics when the associated service metrics are met. This could be the case in terms of a service metric involving output delivery being met, even though the job and its output had to be reprocessed numerous times. As with service metrics, the real value of meaningful process metrics comes from thoroughly and consistently examining them for trends, patterns, and relationships and then applying the results of the analysis to improve the efficiency of the particular service being measured.
4. Documentation is thorough, accurate, and easily understood. Documentation is one of the fundamentals that clearly separate mediocre infrastructures from those that are truly world-class. Well-written documentation facilitates the training, maintenance, and marketing of key processes. Progressive shops hold appropriate staffs accountable for reading and understanding key documentation by making it part of the performance review. These shops also have their new employees test the clarity and readability of the writing while ensuring that senior analysts and technical leads have validated the accuracy of the material.