In today’s rapidly changing world, many organisations struggle to maintain their competitive edge. Strategies that proved effective yesterday may not be suitable tomorrow. However, some businesses endure and thrive despite the turbulence—how do they achieve this?
Chris Zook and his co-authors explored this question in Repeatability: Build Enduring Businesses for a World of Constant Change. They identified a key factor distinguishing resilient, high-performing companies from those that struggle—what they call the Great Repeatable Model.
This model helps organisations fight complexity and focus on simplicity, allowing them to maintain clarity, consistency, and adaptability in execution. It is built on three core principles that drive long-term success:
A well-defined, clear, and measurable differentiation that sets an organisation apart.
Companies that win repeatedly have a strong and well-defined core strategy that differentiates them in the market. Their strategic goals are clear, measurable, and understood by every level of the organisation.
Example: Think of Apple—its differentiation lies in seamless design, user-friendly technology, and a strong ecosystem. Every product reinforces this core identity.
The Challenge? Many organisations struggle with vague or broad strategic goals that are hard to measure. If employees cannot see how their work contributes to strategy, differentiation weakens.
A small set (five to six) of core principles and values that guide decision-making and focus.
Successful organisations do not try to be everything to everyone. Instead, they establish a set of non-negotiable principles that guide decision-making at every level.
Example: Toyota’s legendary commitment to quality and lean manufacturing is non-negotiable. Every process and employee action aligns with these principles, ensuring that Toyota’s standards remain consistent worldwide.
The Challenge? Without clear non-negotiables, organisations lose focus — leading to inconsistent execution, diluted strategy, and misalignment across teams.
The ability to turn continuous feedback and improvement into a competitive advantage.
The most adaptive companies aren’t just innovative — they are relentlessly learning from their performance data. They track meaningful indicators, identify gaps, and adjust before problems escalate.
Example: Amazon is a master of closed-loop learning, analysing data in real-time, optimising logistics, and constantly improving customer experience.
The Challenge? Many organisations collect data but don’t use it effectively — leading to reactive rather than proactive decision-making.
Many organisations understand these principles conceptually but struggle with execution. A strong performance measurement process—like Stacey Barr’s PuMP—provides the missing link.
PuMP doesn’t just measure performance—it provides the “how-to” for applying these principles effectively.
PuMP helps organisations translate vague strategic goals into clear and measurable results and design performance measures that reflect their unique value proposition.
It ensures that differentiation is not just an idea but something that can be measured and improved over time.
Example: A company with a goal like “We want to be the most customer-centric company” might struggle to make this meaningful and measurable. Using PuMP Measurability Tests, this goal is refined into clear and measurable results such as:
📏 Customers get the help they need quickly and easily.
📏 Customer issues are resolved completely on the first interaction.
📏 Customers feel confident they are getting the best solution for their needs.
Each of these clear results can now be measured with meaningful indicators:
Instead of a vague aspiration, the organisation now has a well-differentiated, clear, and measurable core strategy that guides action and improvement.
PuMP ensures that an organisation’s essential principles and values are not just statements on a wall but measurable results that guide decision-making.
It aligns teams around what really matters and ensures focus on core success drivers.
Example: A company with a non-negotiable value like “Quality First” often struggles to make it actionable. PuMP, using the Measurability Tests, translates this value into clear results:
📏 Products perform as expected by customers.
📏 Defects and rework are minimised in production.
📏 Customers receive defect-free products on time.
Each of these clear results can now be measured with meaningful indicators:
This focus on results ensures that values drive measurable outcomes rather than remaining abstract ideals.
PuMP makes performance data meaningful — ensuring organisations track signals, not just numbers.
Instead of reacting to numbers, organisations develop capability or system efficacy indicators, which are generally leading indicators that allow for proactive decision-making.
Example: Many organisations react to lagging indicators like quarterly revenue or profitability. By applying PuMP’s Measure Design techniques, they shift focus to leading indicators that provide early warnings:
By shifting from reactive to proactive decision-making, organisations identify problems before they escalate and seize opportunities faster.
Is your organisation measuring what truly matters?
💬 Let’s discuss! What are some challenges you’ve faced in aligning measurement with strategy? Drop your thoughts in the comments! 👇