Measuring Impact
Measuring impact helps:
- Demonstrate the value of TMxGs to GitLab.
- Secure continued budget and leadership support.
- Inform your own planning and improvements.
- Document your contributions for performance reviews and career development.
This page focuses on a lightweight, sustainable approach.
For detailed tracker structures and examples, see the internal TMxG Leaders Resource Hub.
Why track?
Well‑maintained activity and impact data allows the DIB team and TMxG leaders to:
- Report up to e‑group and other senior leaders.
- Identify which formats and topics resonate.
- Spot gaps in engagement across regions, functions, or topics.
- Recognise and celebrate TMxG leaders’ work.
What to track
1. Activities completed
For every TMxG activity:
- Date and title.
- Type (community engagement, career development, allyship, etc.).
- Format (live call, async thread, panel, workshop, campaign).
- Short description (1–2 sentences).
2. Attendance & participation
- Total number of attendees (or reasonable estimate).
- Approximate split between members vs allies (if known).
- Notable engagement (active chat, questions, async contributions).
3. Alignment to the framework
- Which pillar this activity supports.
- Whether it counts as:
- Monthly community engagement,
- Quarterly initiative, or
- Annual allyship activity.
- Whether it’s linked to a cultural observance month.
4. Budget
Where relevant:
- Budget approved vs spent.
- What funds were used for (speaker fees, swag, accessibility, partnerships).
This supports future budgeting conversations and ensures responsible use of funds.
5. Challenges, wins, and stories
- Challenges: for example, low attendance, scheduling issues, access barriers.
- Wins: high engagement, positive feedback, new partnerships, career outcomes.
- Stories: short anecdotes that show real human impact.
These qualitative insights are as important as numbers.
Using the shared activity tracker
All TMxGs use a shared activity tracker (Google Sheet):
- Each TMxG has a tab.
- Update it within 48 hours of each activity.
- Keep entries brief and factual (bullet points are fine).
This tracker is the single source of truth for:
- Quarterly reports.
- Leadership reporting.
- TMxG recognition and performance review support.
Quarterly reports
At the end of each quarter, TMxG leads complete a short report (typically 10–15 minutes) using the Quarterly Report Template:
- Activities summary: what you delivered and which pillars you touched.
- Successes: what went well, high points, key feedback.
- Challenges: barriers you faced and where you need support.
- Looking ahead: early ideas or asks for next quarter.
Use your activity tracker to fill this in quickly.
Engagement surveys and goals
From time to time, TMxG members and allies are surveyed about:
- Their sense of belonging and inclusion.
- The value and relevance of TMxG programming.
- How often they engage and what they’d like to see.
A common target for TMxG engagement is an overall engagement score of around 60% or higher, with the understanding that groups are building toward this over time.
If your scores are below where you’d like them:
- Increase awareness and clarity of why events matter.
- Improve accessibility (time, format, captions, async options).
- Gather direct feedback and experiment with new formats.
- Partner with your Executive Sponsor and DIB to address structural issues.
Using impact data with your Executive Sponsor and manager
Your impact data can and should support:
- Conversations with your Executive Sponsor about needs and successes.
- Your own performance review, especially where TMxG work demonstrates:
- Leadership, project management, strategic thinking, cross‑functional collaboration.
Include:
- A brief summary of activities delivered and participation trends.
- 1–3 standout successes with numbers and short stories.
- 1–2 areas where additional support or visibility is needed.
Making tracking sustainable
You’re doing TMxG work on top of your core role. To keep tracking manageable:
- Update the shared tracker right after each activity (5 minutes or less).
- Use bullet points and estimates when needed – perfection is not required.
- Set calendar reminders for:
- Tracker updates after key events.
- Quarterly report deadlines.
The goal is a usable record of your impact, not a perfectly polished dataset.
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