KPIs for SMEs
Updated for 2024/25. There are many different KPIs that can be used to monitor performance so it’s important to identify the ones that are most relevant to you. This course looks at useful KPIs for SMEs in different areas and how to use them to improve your business.
£150 +VAT
KPIs for SMEs
£150 +VAT
365 days’ access
This course will enable you to
- Establish the framework and the tools you need for managing performance in SMEs
- Understand the most important KPIs for customer performance and employee performance
- Develop a set of KPIs for your SME to measure the effectiveness and efficiency of the business
- Be confident about KPIs to measure SME financial performance
- Continuously improve performance by analysing KPIs against your goals
About the course
There are many performance measures available – literally hundreds. We call them key performance indicators (KPIs). But they can’t all be “key” and they are not all equally useful, especially not to small and medium sized businesses. SMEs require KPIs that are easy to measure and easy to understand and that provide valuable information about how to effectively run the business.
Recently updated to include extra content on how to use KPIs as part of a continuous improvement process, this course is about performance measures that work for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The course provides a straightforward method of performance monitoring that allows problems to be identified and addressed.
This course has been reviewed and revised with content that is up to date for 2024/25
Contents
Getting started
KPI measures in SMEs
The benefits of KPIs
How variation impacts performance
Displaying performance data
The XmR chart
Collecting robust and consistent data
Plotting data in time order
Calculate the natural process limits
Analyse the behaviour of the process
Performance improvements in SMEs
Dealing with variation
People KPIs
The power of customer KPIs
Measuring customer activity
Measuring sales within a time period
Measuring delivery and quotation performance
Measuring customer support and satisfaction
The need for employee KPIs
Employee turnover
Skills matrix performance measures
Measuring employee involvement and satisfaction
The power of employee KPIs
Choosing employee and customer KPIs
Operational and financial KPIs
The power of operational KPIs
Monitoring processes
Inventory turnover
Measuring the quality of products
Measuring suppliers’ delivery performance
The need for financial KPIs
Measuring the contribution margin by value stream
Measuring productivity
The acid test ratio
Measuring debtors and cash flow
Interest cover
Choosing financial and operational KPIs
Monitoring and managing performance
Selecting the final list of KPIs
How many KPIs should SMEs use?
Principles for monitoring and managing performance
Framework for managing performance
Developing practical solutions
Methods for monitoring and analysing performance
Implement your initial KPIs
How important are KPIs?
Putting it into practice
Facilitating improvement in SMEs
Effective meetings
KPI progress meetings
Facilitating meetings
Building trust
The structure of a KPI progress meeting
Encouraging ideas and engagement
Good and bad meetings
Refining and strengthening ideas
Monitoring progress
Giving feedback
Keeping it fresh
Author
Ross Maynard
Ross has worked as a consultant and trainer for over 20 years, specialising in finance processes, management information and performance measurement. He supports organisations to understand their processes; facilitates improvement teams; and supports staff to work together as a team to deliver tangible and sustainable improvements.
36 reviews for KPIs for SMEs
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Angela Politis –
Really enjoyed this topic. Gave good examples/scenarios about the different KPIs and use. Focus was on SMEs and was practical – specifically recognising that SMEs have resource constraints and can’t do all the analysis that larger corporations can. I got some good revision into old knowledge as well as built up new knowledge.
Jon Hooper –
Practical and well-structured with useful and relatively simple to ideas to implement which will have a big impact on directing focus to the right areas of the business.
Edwin Parr –
This was a good refresher on KPI’s and how they can be used to drive company performance.
Rosa Maria Williams –
A very thorough course covering the subject matter with expertise.
Maria Bienczyk –
interesting
Susannah Kirk –
The course is engaging and well structured. As a project based SME with a small number (<5) of often very different projects per year I was hoping to see some alternative KPIs suggested which do not follow the typical model of short timescale, high volume.
Kimberley Estwick –
INFORMATIVE
Craig Jennings –
Seems to be large business orientated with an attempt to adapt for SME’s.
Mike Pawson –
very informative
Lam Man Fong Lam Ve Voon –
In-depth understanding of KPIs
Mary Beausang –
It was considerably longer than 4 hours and there was a bit of repitition
Venkata Subba Rao Paluri –
found very suitable for sme
David Martin –
It is an excellent, very practical and useful course. Ross is well skilled and not just knowledgeable to guide students in the learning and understanding of material
Katie Upton –
Really enjoyed this. thank you.
Wendell Scantlebury –
The course was what I hoped it would be regarding developing SME KPIs. Was glad to see that it didn’t only tell me which ones were out there, but also give guidance on which ones an SME should implement in case there was uncertainty.
Liz Cullen –
Modular format so could stop and start to fit around work. Small bites of information with revision was good as reinforced the content/discussion.Good summary of how to think about KPIs and where they would fit into the business I’m working in.
Leanne Jensen –
Gave an opportunity to think about non-financial KPIs. Would perhaps like a few more KPIs to consider.
Tsz Cheong Tsang –
The speaker demonstrated how to apply key KPIs, for SMEs, with examples and real cases. Very practical.
Gillian Sayer –
We have public sector customers who require KPIs to be completed each month. There are also increasing requirements for KPIs to match policies, eg I am currently looking at a Whistleblowing policy and have to submit KPIs along with that process. I can see how climate change is becoming a big thing in the public sector and expect that certification will become a requirement along with KPIs for that. So although KPIs for SMEs showed me how to introduce them in the business, it helped me understand my customers’ requirements for their completion.
Frank Myers –
I have in the past emphasized financial KPIs. this course brought home to me that other KPIs are necessary to assess the performance of a business. It showed how there are several factors that lead the business’ performance or not.
Ketan Patel –
Karena Richards –
Barbara Kapoor –
Andrew Albert Imbrah –
I like the KPI notes, my needs in that area are now met
David Woollard –
More example could be useful to get you thinking
Eleanor Shakeshaft –
I would have liked some worksheets with the KPIs listed
Clement Horton –
It provided needed CPD hours, while at the same time giving an excellent insight and knowledge of an area that can be useful in my consulting practice
Josef Micallef –
It met objectives of ways how to improve reporting and make it more aligned with Group’s strategy
Gavin Hughes –
good mix of videos and reading
Karen Ka Yi Ng –
training material is easy to follow
Philip Eakins –
How it was broken into sections and reinforced with a quiz at the end of each section
Annalee Gale –
It concentrated on the KPIs that should be used.
Ross Hulse –
Great course, well put together and presented in a good format.
Fok Yue Hung –
explain all the things in detail.
John Harris –
Excellent Course
Simon Haggith –
Based to on manufacturing sector to much. We do many other types of business in UK!!