Rule #3: Be Data-Based.

And yes, that might mean using a database.  Don't be afraid; they can be quite handy.  

We have a tendency to compare everything in our lives to something (or someone) else.  Though our definitions of success may differ from person to person and organization to organization, our success is always determined by measuring ourselves in some fashion.  Typically the measurement is arbitrary (or at least nonstandardized), which makes it difficult to assess "actual" success or growth or change.  

The key for sustatined improvement is to quantify your variables and make them measureable.  Outcome measurements are nothing new - standarized testing in schools, pre- and post-time trials at the race track, and the ever-familiar course evaluations that you must complete at the end of a training workshop in order to receive your CEU certificate.  Currently our organization is looking at patient satisfaction - we want to ensure that our patients not only receive the highest level of care - but that they actually feel cared for.  To do this with thousand of patients each month, we contracted with the industry leader in assessing patient satisfaction, Press Ganey.  Responses are tabulated by individual provider, so all of our phsyicans, case managers, and mental health therapists receive a score based on their patients.  We also look at call volume and flow - how many phone calls come in, how many callers are placed on hold (and for how long), how many people hang up, etc.  Over time we've been able to see patients' satisfaction level increase in response to specific changes made in each clinic.

Last year I started measuring the workload of our staff as well as schedule flow.  This helps us in scheduling meetings, vacations, etc., as well as ensuring that the workload is evenly shared among all the staff (Rule #1).  The gallery below has some examples from our programs in 2010.

See the full gallery on Posterous

For our programs, our goal is that everyone who wants services should be able to access them.  Staff caseloads tend to stay pretty maxed out, so increasing access can be tricky.  Looking at the numbers helps take something from "I wish we could see a few more clients, but we're always so busy" to "Caseloads are smallest in the summer; let's schedule our outreach program in July so that people can get into care more quickly."  

Data not only helps you be more productive and efficient, it also helps you provide a qualitatively better service.  For us, we strive to challenge the status quo of HIV care.  Serving the most clients is one thing; giving clients the best service is another.  We want to do both.