ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses that students should keep in mind three principles of good metrics systems: metrics measure progress toward their goals, metrics help student prevent failure and metrics get students out of ruts. It draws on four example companies that are Inventrix illustrates metrics for a big pharma, BioStart illustrates metrics for a micro pharma, VirtuPharm illustrates metrics for a mid-size pharma attempting to do their development virtually and CROmed illustrates metrics for a contract research organization (CRO). Inventrix is a new entity formed by the ‘big pharma’ company Gargantua. CROmed is a CRO that has been in business for ten years and employs 200 people. BioStart is a 100-person biotechnology startup. VirtuPharm is a mid-sized, United States pharma with an established set of marketed compounds and a small but strong pipeline. VirtuPharm has always done its R & D in-house, with as-needed support from CROs.
