Because support organizations are often seen as cost centers, IT operational metrics tend to overly emphasize staff performance and internal costs; they don't pay equal attention to business issues and IT's impact on employee and overall business productivity. They track reactive performance, focusing on what's done after issues arise or requests are received, and too often, they're devoid of actionable insights that would drive resolution, accelerate user and business recovery, and expose opportunities for improvement in, for instance, self-service, knowledge accessibility, and automation.

With business complexity driving an ever-increasing number of issues and problems, the pressure on IT is always on. The wrong measures can stifles innovation, leading to friction and further separation — a negative feedback loop. But by adopting a total business impact approach, IT can create an inclusive approach to metrics and reporting that will better align IT with the business, exposing critical business needs and IT's contribution, and creating goodwill that fosters more collaboration — a positive feedback loop.