Abstract

We investigate Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) in a large and multi-national telecommunication company and discover needs and requirements for understanding, analysing and using KPIs from practitioner’s perspective. Utilising an action research approach, we identified the existing challenges with KPIs in a large-scale software-intensive systems development in a global setting. Our study revealed several issues with organisations KPIs, e.g., measuring the wrong things or not basing the measurements on reliable data. Based on the identified issues, a visualisation and modelling approach was introduced to reform the KPI representation and formulation to improve understanding and communicating KPIs, as well as their use in decision-making. We suggest that KPI information flow visualisation with appropriate tool support allows redefining usable, valid and reliable KPIs. The problem is addressed with a simple solution that is easily adopted and taken into use at all levels of an organisation.