Continual Improvement and Measurement
This domain tests whether you can improve services using evidence rather than opinion. Expect the continual improvement model, PDCA thinking, critical success factors, KPIs, baselines, lead and lag measures, and reporting that drives decisions.
Core rules and concepts
- The continual improvement model asks: what is the vision; where are we now; where do we want to be; how do we get there; take action; did we get there?
- A baseline is the measured starting point. Without it, improvement claims are assertions.
- Critical success factors state what must go well. KPIs are measures of progress toward them.
- Lead measures predict outcomes; lag measures report results. Use both but do not confuse activity with value.
- Measurement should be proportionate. Too many KPIs dilute attention and encourage gaming.
Worked example
Repeat incidents are rising. The team resists a slogan such as 'improve resolution'. They baseline mean time to restore and repeat-incident rate, set a target, identify causes such as poor knowledge articles, pilot a change to the service desk workflow, measure again, and standardize if the result holds. The reasoning follows the improvement model: current state, desired state, intervention, evidence, then embed or adjust.
Traps
Measuring ticket closure volume instead of customer outcomes; setting targets without baselines; using a single lag indicator; rewarding numbers that encourage reclassification; running improvements without a defined owner.