Customize the "5 things" Matrix

The "5 Things" matrix is a template that must be customized to fit your company's unique needs.  Customization happens in the Operations & Sales/Marketing core business functions.  Human Resources & Administration use the same metrics shown above.

Operations

Questions to ask yourself:

1. What do we sell to our customers?

- If you bill your customer hourly, then your output could be Billable Hours.

- If you manufacture plastic parts, then your output could be Pounds of Plastic.

- If you are a trucking distributor, then your output could be Shipped Pounds.

2. How do you know if it is quality output?

- If you are a manufacturer, then your quality could be Inventory Turns.

- If you bill hourly for a project, then your quality could be % of Hours Billed While Project was On Time vs. % of Hours Billed When Project Wasn't On Time.

- If you are a trucking distributor, then your quality could be % of Trucks Shipped to Full Capacity.

3. What does it mean to be efficient?

-  What sort of Space did it take to make your output?

- What is the length of time it takes to complete your project?

- How many trucks did you need to deliver the pounds of material?

- Did you need more or less employees for that same amount of material last year?

4. Does your team work well together?

- Are your employees cross trained across all the tools, technology, machinery and trucks? 

- Which branch, warehouse, developer team is consistently the best group and why?

Sales or Marketing

Questions to ask yourself:

1. What is the main driver of Gross Profit?

- Do you have a professional sales team making sales calls and closing deals?

- Are your salespeople feel more like order takers or customer service?

- Is your website the main point of contact for your customers with little interaction with employees at your company?

2. How do you know if it is quality output?

- If sales is your main driver, then Marketing Leads could be your Quality metric.

- If your website is your main driver, then Return Customers could be your Quality metric.

3. What does it mean to be efficient?

-  Do your salespeople develop quotes and take orders?

- Can you track how customers move across your website to the final purchase?

5. Does your team work well together?

- Which branch of salespeople work well together?

- Do all employees do a good job pushing company content onto social media?