Reflections on PuMP: How It Evolved & Why It Still Works

PuMP wasn't designed in academia as a framework looking for adoption. It emerged in response to recurring performance measurement failures in real organizations. During a visit to Australia, I sat down with Stacey Barr for an informal conversation about how PuMP came to be, how it has evolved, and where it’s heading.

If you work with strategy, KPIs, OKRs, or performance management, this discussion offers insight into why PuMP resonates with leaders seeking to clarify organizational performance and use evidence to manage strategy.

In this short video, we discuss the invisible thinking step Stacey had to make visible for others, the biggest barrier to PuMP adoption in organizations, and more.

The core questions are below with timestamps to navigate through the conversation.

How Did PuMP Start and Why Was It Created?

(Video timestamp: 00:42)

As an internal performance measurement specialist in the 1990s, Stacey kept running into the same problems: leaders and managers wanted to measure performance, but goals were vaguely written, data was often unavailable, and important results were intangible and seemed impossible to quantify. Even among the most committed and capable managers, one obstacle kept surfacing.

“One of the biggest problems is they want to measure goals that nobody even understands. They're too vague or abstract—or as we say, weaselly.”

What Has Stayed True About PuMP for Over 25+ Years?

(Video timestamp: 03:23)

After more than 25 years of use across more than 45 countries and multiple sectors, Stacey points to one idea that never broke even as organizational theories, frameworks, terminology, and contexts changed.

It isn’t about KPIs, dashboards, or reporting formats.  It’s about a disciplined way of designing a measure so people actually trust what they’re seeing.

"When people look at it, they go, yeah, I trust that measure."

Were There Any Major Changes to PuMP Over the Years?

(Video timestamp: 05:36)

For years, Stacey was helping teams clarify goals, but there was a critical step she was taking that no one could see, including herself. The goals got clearer, yet people couldn’t see how they got there.

“What was missing was the thinking process to turn their intangible, hard to measure, vague goals into something that was clear…   They couldn't figure out how I was doing it. And when they asked me, I had to stop and think how did I do that?”

That moment forced Stacey to make her invisible thinking explicit, changing how PuMP helps teams move from vague goals to measurable results.

What Is the Biggest Challenge to Adoption and Where is PuMP Headed?

(Video timestamp: 08:08)

The biggest challenge to adopting PuMP is not technical. It is mindset.

PuMP is often introduced by strategy and organizational performance specialists, but it sticks only when leaders adopt evidence-based thinking themselves and integrate it into their existing strategy and management systems.

“Leaders have certain habits and history in how they do KPIs and measurement and create goals … they  can inadvertently sabotage the good stuff by doing what they've always done, even though it hasn't worked."

PuMP’s future lies in integration, not as a bolt-on methodology but as a way of thinking that informs how organizations manage and execute strategy. Much like the scientific method, it shapes how decisions are made, regardless of whether an organization uses OKRs, the Balanced Scorecard, or any other management and execution framework.

Closing Reflection

PuMP has stood the test of time as a blueprint for developing and using meaningful performance measures because it was built to solve a real management problem in real organizations, not to satisfy reporting or dashboard requirements.

Its value lies in helping leaders clarify results and use evidence as a basis for learning, decision-making, and sustained achievement.

Meaningful measurement begins by making the thinking behind results explicit.

Watch the full video above.

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Brook Rolter is the Managing Director and Founder of Rolter Associates a consultancy providing management, strategy, organization development consulting, and strategic facilitation to help organizations integrate strategy, performance, and management practices and improve organizational performance.

Contact Brook by phone or text at 703-628-0340 or by email.