A strategy for evolving comms measurement into actionable insight.
Define decision use cases
Analytics should answer leadership decisions such as budget allocation or risk response.
Decision use cases determine the metric set.
Build a minimum viable dashboard
Start with five to eight metrics and trend lines.
Small dashboards get adopted faster than complex ones.
Create a data pipeline
Standardise tags and fields so reporting stays consistent.
A clean pipeline reduces manual reporting time.
Balance quant and qual
Combine metrics with narrative insight from teams on the ground.
Qualitative context keeps analytics actionable.
Operationalise insights
Every insight should lead to a decision or action.
If it does not, remove it from the report.
FAQ
What is the first metric to build?
Coverage quality or message pull-through is often the most useful early metric.
How often should analytics be reviewed?
Operationally weekly, strategically monthly or quarterly.
Do we need a data warehouse?
Not always. Many teams start with spreadsheets or BI tools.
What causes analytics programs to fail?
Too many metrics and no clear decision linkage.