The Basics of Performance Measurement by Jerry L Harbour

The Basics of Performance Measurement by Jerry L Harbour

You can't understand, manage, or improve what you don't measure
While every smart executive now knows the truth of those words, perhaps more so than anyone, it was Jerry Harbour who turned that adage into a science. Originally published in 1997, The Basics of Performance Measurement helped pioneer the science of performance measurement and continues to serve as an industry standard.

Yet, despite the book's continued relevancy, Harbour is once again stepping ahead of the curve to fully update his little yellow book. In addition to adding the wisdom of lessons learned over the past decade, he adds two new chapters to this second edition. One of these chapters discusses units of measurement. The other introduces ways to better interpret what has been measured and then translate those measurement-related interpretations into actionable knowledge.

Harbour provides a six-step method for developing a performance measurement system. He shows how to design performance measurement families and how to build hierarchies tailored to different levels within an organization. He also covers collection and distribution, as well as the value of performance measure displays. When you finish this book, you will be able to undertake performance measurement with new confidence. You will also come away knowing how to present your findings with an authority that will convince stakeholders of the importance and accuracy of your results.

Jerry Harbour, PhD, has over three decades of technical and managerial experience in highly varied operational and research settings, including offshore oil exploration and production, underground mining, nuclear weapons maintenance and dismantlement, unmanned vehicle (air and ground) technology development, hazardous materials handling and processing, and physical security. He has managed various industry and national laboratory organizational functions, including industrial engineering, performance engineering, human factors engineering, robotic and human systems engineering, security systems engineering, applied technology development, and training and development.

Dr. Harbour is the author of numerous technical journal articles and six previous books: The Performance Mapping and Measurement Handbook, Performance Measurement Systems, The Performance Paradox, The Basics of Performance Measurement (now in its second edition), Cycle Time Reduction, and The Process Reengineering Workbook. He holds a PhD in applied behavioral studies and a BA/MS in geology. He resides in southern Colorado on a mountain ranch with his wife.