What are your best tips for selecting performance indicators?

1 Align with your purpose

The first tip is to align your performance indicators with your purpose. What are you trying to achieve, and how will you know if you are successful? Your performance indicators should reflect your vision, mission, and strategic priorities, as well as the expectations and needs of your target audience. They should also be consistent with your theory of change, logic model, or results framework, which explain how your inputs, activities, outputs, outcomes, and impacts are linked.

2 Balance quantity and quality

The second tip is to balance quantity and quality in your performance indicators. Quantity refers to the amount, frequency, or rate of something, such as the number of beneficiaries reached, the hours of service delivered, or the percentage of completion. Quality refers to the standard, level, or value of something, such as the satisfaction, relevance, effectiveness, or efficiency of your service or product. Both quantity and quality are important to measure, but they should be proportional to your resources, capacity, and scope.

3 Use SMART criteria

The third tip is to use SMART criteria to define your performance indicators. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Specific means that your performance indicator is clear and precise, not vague or ambiguous. Measurable means that your performance indicator can be quantified or verified, not subjective or opinion-based. Achievable means that your performance indicator is realistic and attainable, not too easy or too hard. Relevant means that your performance indicator is related to your purpose and context, not irrelevant or outdated. Time-bound means that your performance indicator has a defined timeframe or deadline, not indefinite or open-ended.

4 Choose appropriate data sources

The fourth tip is to choose appropriate data sources for your performance indicators. Data sources are the methods or tools that you use to collect, store, and analyze data, such as surveys, interviews, observations, documents, records, or databases. Your data sources should be reliable, valid, and credible, meaning that they produce accurate, consistent, and trustworthy data. They should also be feasible, ethical, and transparent, meaning that they are practical, respectful, and accountable.

5 Review and refine regularly

The fifth tip is to review and refine your performance indicators regularly. Performance indicators are not static or fixed; they are dynamic and flexible. They should be reviewed and refined periodically to ensure that they are still relevant, reliable, and realistic, and that they reflect any changes in your purpose, context, or data sources. You should also monitor and evaluate your performance indicators to assess their strengths and weaknesses, identify gaps and challenges, and learn from your successes and failures.

6 Communicate clearly and effectively

The sixth and final tip is to communicate your performance indicators clearly and effectively. Performance indicators are not only useful for internal management and learning, but also for external reporting and advocacy. You should communicate your performance indicators to your stakeholders, such as donors, partners, beneficiaries, or policymakers, in a way that is clear, concise, and compelling. You should also use appropriate formats and channels, such as reports, dashboards, infographics, or presentations, to convey your data and stories.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?