It is difficult enough to maintain effective control of direction and growth in most corporate environments

It is even more so when the competitive pressures are increasing, and your competitive response is complex

Central to the issue of effective control are the abilities to set goals, accurately measure and report results, then make adjustments to close any gaps between the goal and the result

All companies do this today, few do it consistently, across the organization, at all levels, for both processes & people, and aligned with strategic objectives

Everything in business that is important is measured - what you measure sends a clear message across the organization, it is perhaps more important at lower levels in the organization where measures tend to be "ad-hoc", or aligned with personal goals

Align what you measure with strategic goals, clearly link process and people goals to promote accountability, and ownership

You cannot improve what you don't measure, establishing a baseline makes it easier to set goals and show improvement

Measure yourself against others, customers to understand their expectations, and competitors to determine how well you are performing

Consider identifying and measuring yourself against best practices in other organizations (similar industries similar processes), or other groups within your own organization