CASE STUDY
Determining a System for Strategic Metrics
Defining a strategic measurement and engagement framework to increase awareness and adoption across diverse stakeholders.
About the Project
The newly established New York State Office of Strategic Workforce Development (OSWD) engaged HR&A and Jobs for the Future to provide guidance on creating a statewide strategic development framework, including a set of uniform metrics and measures of success.
The Goal
Establish a foundational system of strategic metrics and data storytelling practices to support OSWD’s long-term effectiveness and alignment with New York State priorities.
My Role
UX researcher and strategist responsible for co-developing an initial metrics framework, designing a data storytelling approach, and facilitating working sessions with OSWD leadership to enable adoption and ongoing use.
Key Insight
Strategic metrics are only as strong as the strategy they are anchored to and timing matters as much as structure.
While the project produced a viable foundation of strategic data stories and metrics, we learned that sequencing the workstreams differently—allowing OSWD more time to fully articulate its strategic perspective before formalizing metrics—would have strengthened alignment and outcomes.
This insight highlighted the importance of designing not just what systems exist, but when they are introduced.
Impact
Provided OSWD with a foundational set of strategic data stories and metrics
Equipped leadership with a repeatable method for generating and refining data stories
Helped position the new office for early success despite limited availability and evolving partnerships
Informed future approaches to sequencing strategy and measurement work in early-stage organizations
My Challenge
Support the formation of a newly created state office by designing an initial system of metrics and data storytelling—despite incomplete strategy definition, limited stakeholder availability, and partnerships still in development.
Users
Primary stakeholders: New York State Office of Strategic Workforce Development and Office of the Governor
Constraints
New organization with evolving mandate
Limited stakeholder availability
In-state partnerships not yet fully formed
Tight project timeline
My Process
Partnered with HR&A to align workstream planning and timelines
Reviewed OSWD’s mandate and the Governor’s strategic priorities to ground metric development
Collaborated with a JFF BI Analyst to translate strategic priorities into an initial data story question set
Led facilitated working sessions with OSWD to refine, validate, and expand data story questions
Enabled offline iteration and conducted follow-up sessions to finalize a set of reusable strategic data stories
Organizations
JFF, HR&A
My Role
UX Researcher and Strategist
Date / Duration
Sept 2022 - May 2023
