From data to evidence: make your impact visible

Why single numbers mean little

Loose KPIs can create pressure without providing direction.

With no set way to:

• formulate a hypothesis,

• agree on a period of time,

• comparing results,

• take a decision,

numbers get stuck in extra explanation and discussion.

You only really increase the pace when you consciously choose which initiatives to keep and which to stop based on evidence.

Measuring only makes sense if you link a decision to it.

Choose your core metrics per target

For each target, you choose one key metric. That's the main grade you steer by. In addition, you choose a maximum of two additional grades for context. More numbers only make it unclear.

Examples of core metrics by purpose:

• Accelerating inflow

  • core metrics: days to first interview

• Raising quality

  • core metrics: 90-day retention

  • possibly extra: score from the hiring manager

• Improve efficiency

  • core metrics: cost per valuable call

  • possibly extra: cost per proposal

Agree in advance which grade is the core metric. On that number you judge the result. The other digits are support, not a head measure.

The 6-week proof run

With a set rhythm of six weeks, you make experiments manageable.

You work in six steps:

1. Hypothesis
   What do you expect this experiment to improve. Write it down in one sentence.

2. Setup
   Record the start date, who owns it and what the baseline is. The baseline is the pre-start figures.

3. Run
   Let the experiment run for four weeks without making constant adjustments.

4. Review
   Take one week to compare before and after side by side. Look at lead time, quality and cost per valuable moment.

5. Decision
   Choose one of three outcomes: scale, prune or stop.

6. Follow-up
   Adjust budget or working method and log the change in one central place.

Thus, every experiment has a beginning, a middle and an end. No pilots that go on endlessly.

Avoid the classics

A few pitfalls recur frequently:

• Pilots without an end date
  Then no one knows when you may conclude whether it works.

• KPIs that only show volume
  Numbers alone say little without quality and cost.

• Reports without a decision heading
  If a report ends without a choice, little changes in practice.

By deliberately avoiding these three points, each experiment becomes more concrete and decisionable.

Start tomorrow

You can start small right away:

• select three ongoing initiatives

• write down the baseline and a clear end date for each initiative

• Schedule a review for all three in week 6 with decision rights at the table

From then on, you work with a simple proof loop. Less loose initiatives, more decisions visible in time, quality and cost.