Addressing the challenges of IT metrics.

• Position: News & Numbers

Jurisdictions increasingly depend on information technology (IT) to deliver services effectively, which leads to both increased IT spending and a growing need to develop a balanced portfolio of performance measures, including IT project management, IT operations management, and IT innovation, according to a report by the IBM Center for the Business of Government. It presents 14 recommendations for designing, implementing, and evaluating IT metrics.

The report, Creating a Balanced Portfolio of Information Technology Metrics, identified four main challenges: 1) many IT metrics depend on other organizational units meeting their performance targets; 2) IT metrics require a focus on long-term planning; 3) chief information officers (CIOs) need to coordinate efforts to integrate metrics and develop standards for comparison; and 4) IT departments must have the ability to collect real-time data on IT operations.

The report found that CIOs recognize and understand the value of metrics. CIOs have created programs to support the collection, analysis, and communication of IT program data, but finding the time and resources to implement comprehensive performance management programs...