Whether you are managing a corporate giant or a small business, you need to track progress. For some, that means tracking key results, for others, it means tracking endless detail. Here are 7 tips for maximizing results and minimizing effort.

1. Don’t just track results, track assumptions. If your sales are increasing exactly as desired, but you are growing because existing customers are buying more and not because you are successfully penetrating a new market as planned, you have a problem. Your luck is masking failed insights, decisions, efforts, and investments. Be clear about underlying assumptions and ask, “Are our assumptions still valid?”
2. Define milestones that reflect major decisions and vital learning, not just the completion of tasks, especially fairly predictable tasks. Keep asking, “What don’t we know? What obstacles must we overcome?”
3. Don’t let a growing list of checked off milestones give you false confidence. It’s the ones that aren’t checked off that can sink your ship. Keep asking, “What could go wrong?” 
4. Every pursuit encompasses uncertainty and risk. As you learn, you must adapt. Keep asking, “What have we learned and what is its significance?”
5. Detailed plans give the illusion of control. Don’t be fooled, especially where the detail is no more than a stab in the dark. Keep asking, “How do we know we are on track?”
6. Even mundane, predictable efforts can go astray because nothing happens the same way twice. Keep asking, “What has changed? What is different this time? What are we taking for granted?”
7. Review progress as often as you can afford to be behind. If you can afford to lose a month, check in once a month. If you can’t afford to lose a day, check in daily. “Have we made a day of progress? If not, why not? What must we do differently?” © 2011 Ann Latham. All Rights Reserved.