A performance index is a measurement tool business owners and managers use to evaluate business operations. These indices can usually be applied to the entire company, specific divisions or departments and individual managers or employees. Business owners and managers often use performance management techniques to ensure their company is operating at an acceptable level. A performance index can also create a benchmark measurement for business operations. Benchmark measurements compare one company’s performance information to another company’s information.
Business owners and managers can use operational or financial performance indices. An operational performance index measures the use of economic resources, production output and employee productivity. All companies use some economic resources to produce consumer goods or services. Performance management tools allow business owners and managers to evaluate how efficiently their company uses these scarce or limited resources. Companies often attempt to reduce the amount of waste from production processes. This ensures companies do not waste money on purchasing too many economic resources.
Production output performance index can help business owners and managers measure how well their facilities and equipment to produce goods or services. These indices are often compared on a monthly basis. A continuous monthly analysis allows business owners and managers to quickly determine why or how their production output has increased or decreased.
Business owners and managers also use performance management techniques to review employee productivity. This performance analysis ensures employees are able to produce a minimum amount of consumer products. Employee productivity also affects the costs associated with goods or services produced by the company. Employees who cannot produce a specific and number of items each month can significantly increase the individual cost of each good or service produced.
Financial performance indices measure the company’s performance based on financial information. This provides business owners and managers with a quantitative analysis for their company’s performance. Quantitative analysis uses mathematical formulas or ratios to assess the company’s information. Financial ratios are a common performance index. These ratios create financial indicators that indicate how well the companies can meet short-term obligations, use assets to generate revenue and measure the profitability for each item sold by the company.
Financial ratios are also a common benchmark analysis tool. Business owners often compare their financial ratio indicators to a competing company or the industry standard. This allows business owners and managers to decide how they should improve the company based on financial information. Financial ratios also allow for a comparative analysis to previous operating periods to determine whether the company is better or worse off under current economic conditions.