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Priorities & Metrics

The Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory sets its priorities, and evaluates its performance based upon the benefits realized by U.S. industry. Because of the variety and breadth of the work in MEL, the evaluation procedures must be flexible. Therefore, instead of specific criteria, a set of performance metrics is applied.

The performance metrics that form the basis of MEL's evaluation system are both qualitative and quantitative measurements of its economic and competitive impact. Performance metrics are made up of ACTIVITY, PROGRESS, OUTPUT, and SIGNIFICANCE METRICS.

Activity Metrics are measures of the size of the effort that led to a particular result and how many customers the result affected. Customers, interactions, staffing, and budget are included in activity metrics.. The following are examples of information developed from activity-related measures that may be used to evaluate a project or assess a service.

  • Amounts of resources applied to the work
  • Number of interactions with customers
  • Amount of participation in consortia and standards organizations
  • Time spent on cooperative research with industry and other federal agencies
  • Number of customers served and income generated
  • Use of unique facilities and testbeds by outside organizations
  • In-kind contributions by outside organizations

Progress Metrics are measures of achievement that indicate the status of a project or service. Progress metrics examine milestones and the results of internal and external reviews. Specific examples that apply progress metrics are:

  • Degree to which program plans are successfully executed
  • On-time achievement of milestones
  • On-schedule delivery of results
  • Decrease in time required for deliverables
  • Development of unique research facilities and testbeds
  • Success in attracting, developing, and retaining a diverse, world class staff
  • Positive feedback from National Research Council Assessment Panel

Output Metrics are the quantitative measures of productivity. Typically, MEL measures its output by the numbers of countable actions, collaborations, or deliverables as shown in the following list.

  • Papers and reports published
  • Patents and licenses awarded
  • Technical achievements
  • Active CRADAs
  • Joint projects with other NIST laboratories and outside partners
  • Guest workers
  • Workshops and conferences
  • Standard reference materials produced
  • Calibrations and fabrication services performed

Significance metrics are the measures of the quality, value, and impact of the results on U.S. industry. The following examples show the way MEL measures significance.

  • Economic and competitive impact of technical results, patents, and licenses
  • Success in technology transfer to customers
  • Quality and relevance of technical output
  • Uniqueness and quality of research facilities, services and capabilities
  • Ability to provide critical advanced calibration, fabrication, and SRM services not available elsewhere
  • Ability to anticipate and establish critical SRM, calibration and fabrication services to meet new needs
  • Customer services compare well against a "best practice" benchmark
  • Number of companies claiming to be benefited by output
  • Degree of innovation
  • Leadership in outside activities


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Date Create: February 9, 2001
Last Modified: July 5, 2001

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