Multidimensional value metrics
The thesis of the bridge insists on measuring value in the person, not in the model. That requires an explicit measurement system —not a slogan— agreed with the client at the start and reviewed at closure. This chapter defines the five-axis dashboard and the protocol that keeps it honest.
Most projects defend themselves with vanity metrics: models deployed, chatbot queries, hold-out accuracy. Those figures can rise while the organization gains nothing. A multidimensional dashboard avoids post-hoc justification with whichever metric looked best and avoids ignoring externalities —well-being, equity, maturity— that determine whether the outcome is sustainable.
The five axes
| Axis | What it measures | Example indicators |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Economic value | Hours freed, errors avoided, attributable revenue | Hours/week on task X; reprocessing cost |
| 2. Decision value | Quality, speed and traceability of the decision | Time to decision; % decisions with evidence |
| 3. Human value | Well-being, perceived autonomy, team learning | Brief survey; post-intervention interviews |
| 4. Organizational value | Data maturity, governance, absorption capacity | IMIA delta by dimension; policies adopted |
| 5. Social value | Gaps closed, service to the citizen, equity | Coverage; appeal rate; bias audit |
Not all axes apply to all clients. Two or three are prioritized at the start according to the sociotechnical diagnosis —in the public sector, the social axis is usually mandatory; in the SME, often economy and decision suffice.
Protocol
- Baseline in the first link, alongside the IMIA profile when appropriate. Without a baseline, any improvement is narrative.
- Objectives per axis agreed before building —avoids retroactive vanity metrics.
- Review at closure —and in sociotechnical hygiene if there is evolutionary accompaniment.
“We did not measure that before” is valid information: it sometimes prevents promising a percentage and forces designing a pilot measurement.
Honesty
Published figures only with verified backing or labeled as internal estimates. A pretty dashboard without a baseline is decoration —and decoration feeds the confusion between activity and outcome that the thesis of the bridge combats. IMIA measures configuration; this dashboard measures intervention outcome across the five axes.
See also: Concepts of our own (value metric) · IMIA — the maturity instrument · The bridge applied to SMEs