By the time I came across the PuMP® Performance Measure Blueprint and it’s creator, Stacey Barr, I had already been in the workforce for 20 years, become vice president of a 500 million dollar company, worked at an Olympic games and consulted for five years.
Through all these experiences I had achievements and I also had struggles. I learned that strategic plans were only useful if teams used them to make decisions about what they would and would not do; and, performance measures were only useful if they gave teams objective feedback on how they were progressing on achieving their goals. Unfortunately, most plans and measures did neither.
So, I had an itch that needed scratching. I wanted to help clients have plans they used and measures they trusted. When I found the PuMP® Blueprint and used it, I fell in love, scratched my itch, and became Canada’s exclusive partner.
Here are the top 5 reasons why I love the PuMP® Blueprint:
Reason #1: the PuMP® Blueprint practically solves a client problem
Boards and leaders often tell their organizations they need better measures, but people struggle to produce them. They often feel helpless and exhausted with the effort and they don’t know where else to turn. PuMP® is practical because it helps teams recognize the bad habit causing their struggles and then provides the new techniques they need to be successful. PuMP® is easy to learn, its repeatable and, with a bit of practice, any organization can develop and use more meaningful measures to make decisions as the future becomes the present.
Reason #2: the PuMP® Blueprint is both human and statistically rigorous
The power of PuMP® is that it delivers the discipline a performance measurement process needs to be statistically sound so leaders can stop arguing about the integrity of the data. However, Stacey Barr recognized early on that it’s humans that use (or abuse) KPIs. So she incorporated creative facilitation techniques, conversation guides and team-based approaches to improve both the quality of the measure and the buy-in needed to bring it to life.
Reason #3: PuMP® shifts leaders’ thinking from what to why
Simon Sinek may have made the power of why famous with his quote “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it”, but it is the PuMP® Blueprint (and the ready-to-use tools it provides) that actually helps organizations translate their strategic direction away from what they do and towards why they do it (the impact they want).
Reason #4: PuMP® teaches clients how to fish
You probably know the old adage “Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” Well, the same can be said for the PuMP® Blueprint . “Give a team a performance measure, and they use it for a day; Give a team the PuMP® Blueprint, and you give them the ability to develop and use performance measures for a lifetime.” The PuMP® Blueprint and all the tools, templates and tips that are part of the 8-step process builds capacity within organizations to develop and use their own measures forever.
Reason #5: PuMP® helps create a kinder, more hopeful workplace
Unfortunately, performance measures are too often used to judge people and assess their individual performance, making many employees anxious and fearful. PuMP® grounds performance measures into a context of continuous improvement where statistically sound feedback helps teams think beyond blame, understand natural variation, find root cause, and own the problem with the commitment to improve. PuMP® helps teams become kinder and more agile because they test and learn, instead of blaming their co-workers and treating only the symptoms.
As I have learned the depth, value and power of each PuMP® Blueprint step over the last 5 years of delivering workshops and consulting with clients, I can honestly say “It is not always easy, but I guarantee you, it’s worth it!”
The PuMP® Performance Measure Blueprint was created by Australia’s performance measure specialist Stacey Barr. Louise Watson of Adura Strategy is Canada’s Official Partner and Licensed PuMP® Blueprint consultant.
