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Subject:measuring productivity From:Miki Magyar <MDM0857 -at- MCDATA -dot- COM> Date:Fri, 20 Feb 1998 13:04:18 -0700
Kathy Borgtodd asked " how do you measure productivity in your department? "
Good question! Usually the answer is, we don't - we get evaluated on whether or not we got the manual/help/etc. out on time, on budget, and with approval from the client reviewers. Since we work on any given project as a team, and are subject to any number of external constraints beyond our control, this is about the only thing that makes sense.
'Productivity' on an assembly line makes sense. 'Productivity' in Tech Pubs needs to be clearly defined. Or better yet, ignored. What is the purpose of the measurement? Who is going to use the information, in what way? The answer is in the question - if you are looking for process improvement, 'productivity' is not necessarily what you want to ask about.
That said, yeah but, and on the other hand -
Each case is different. If you're churning out updates of a catalog, 'productivity' may be a valid measure.
You can't make improvements until you know where you are. Just make sure your baseline and metrics make sense for your purpose.
If you're trying to evaluate tools, 'productivity' may be a key factor. Again, be sure you know what you're measuring.
I'm looking forward to the discussion on this one!
