3. You’re Not Using Metrics Effectively
Not keeping track of what you’re doing and the associated impact is a sure way to lose resources quickly. I’ve had the pleasure of reporting to two CFOs during my career. I learned a great deal from both. One of the most important lessons I learned was that numbers speak volumes about your operations. How do you know that your department is effective? Are you accomplishing your goals? These and other questions can effectively be answered by metrics.
We’re talking numbers, charts and graphs here. Metrics are so important that ASIS International recently invested $100,000 and countless hours into a research project on the topic with some excellent, actionable results. The publication is a good read and can help you to develop your own metrics. However, don’t forget to leverage your finance department if you’re looking for help with developing some beneficial metrics. Your finance folks are often skilled with collecting and expressing metrics. So track what you’re doing, measure the impact and thrust this information in front of the decision-makers.
There you have it: three mistakes that are easily corrected with the right amount of determination and support within your organization. Please share any other tips you may have about how to prevent your department’s budget from looming cuts at CampusSafetyMagazine.com.
Dave Corbin is the director of public safety, parking, facilities and engineering at Newton-Wellesley Hospital.
