It’s often said that what gets measured gets done. Part of this is human nature. Everyone has more piled on their plates than ever, and many workers find themselves constantly reprioritizing their work activities. Therefore, metrics that have the attention of business and manufacturing leaders tend to be those that get measured and improved on by their employee teams.

Effectively measuring, analyzing, and improving manufacturing metrics is not as simple as it may appear. Although there are certain metrics that work well for specific job roles, it’s often the case that multiple combinations of metric indicators are needed to ensure that a larger business objective is met.

For this reason, metrics need to be aligned to larger goals and objectives. Think “SMART” goals—specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and time-based. This acronym contains some key concepts.

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