Measure Successful offsites with these criteria.
- by the happy sheets
- change in the workplace
- how keen people are to do it again
- what you can take back to your boss
- the outcomes you set in the first place
It is certain that you will have more chance of measuring if you plan 2 – 3 months out. Contact Cindy Tonkin to make that happen now.
Measure successful offsites by the happy sheets
Happy sheets are the written feedback given in the room.
Often a happy sheet is a series of questions rated 1 to 5 like:
- Were you engaged?
- How was the afternoon tea?
- How is the accommodation?
- Did you learn something?
While these are an indication of how people felt, it really measures how people feel about the last hour or two before they fill in the form. It doesn’t measure how effective the off-site was. The best way of measuring the off-site is is against your outcomes.
Happy sheets give you a read, but look for patterns in them, don’t take them as gospel.
Measure by the outcomes you set in the first place
A better way to measure offsite success is to measure the outcomes you wanted before the conference and then same two weeks after. For example before and after the off-site:
- how customers rate you
- number of calls returned
- how many meetings people go to, and how long they last
- how many errors are made
- how long does it take to turn around a piece of work
- how much skills coverage do you have.
You must set this outcome before the off-site, and measure successful offsites against this outcome. Get your facilitator involved early so that they can push you to create a clear and certain outcome that can be measured.
Measure successful offsites by the change in the workplace
Part of setting your outcome will include some intangibles. How do you know the offsite has been a success? What will people do or say when they are back if it’s successful? What behaviours will you see if it isn’t?
For example here are some intangible wishes that came true for some of my clients:
- when your 2IC gets the recognition she deserves from your boss.
- team members take content from the offsite and print it out to hang by their monitor or make it a screen saver.
- the “old boys” of the team voluntarily take the “new boys” out to lunch
- the words from the offsite are actually picked up in team meetings and used again and again.
Measure by how happy they are to do it again
The happy sheets might say that people were happy, but are they keen to do it again?
Does the sugar hit of the off-site lasts long enough for them to feel the offsite was a useful way to spend their time?
Measure by what you can take to your boss
All the change in the world is worth nothing if your boss is on your back.
Your offsite needs to have something shiny to take back to your boss.
You can measure best if you plan 2-3 months out
If you give me enough time (2 – 3 months in advance, ideally), I can help you set up some great performance indicators for your next offsite. Talk to Cindy Tonkin are call + 61 412135426 to plan your next offsite.
