15 KPIs for Executive Assistants to Measure (With Examples)

Updated March 10, 2023

Executive assistants have important jobs that require efficient administrative skills. Identifying the key performance indicators (KPIs) of an administrative assistant allows you to know what essential responsibilities lead to performance success in this role. For current or prospective administrative assistants, learning about KPIs for this role and some examples of how to improve them can help you excel in your career. In this article, we explain the importance of KPIs for executive assistants and list 15 examples of executive assistant KPIs with considerations for how to measure and improve them.

Why are key performance indicators important for executive assistants?

KPIs are important for assessing the performance and growth of executive assistants. They indicate the most important skills and responsibilities that executive assistants need for their careers. Knowing what KPIs apply to executive assistants and how to measure them can help you determine areas of professional development to focus on and plan strategies to improve your job performance.

15 KPIs for executive assistants

Here are 15 important KPIs for executive assistants with examples of how to track and improve them:

1. Communication

One of the most important skills for executive assistants is communication. Assistants communicate with the executives they support, other members of the administrative team and external professionals when scheduling appointments and setting up meetings. Communication skills include having the ability to listen to and understand the needs and expectations of others. It also includes expressing yourself effectively in both written and verbal formats.

When assessing communication as a KPI, consider how often you communicate with others and whether you can improve either the quality of your communication or how quickly you respond to correspondences. For example, if you're looking to improve your electronic communication over email, you might measure how long it takes you to respond to emails in your inbox on average. Then, set a goal to respond quicker and design a strategy to improve your response rate. After a set time frame, assess whether you reached your goal and what aspects of your strategy improved your response time.

2. Organization

Executive assistants need good organizational skills to manage their time, keep up with important documents and maintain a strict schedule. Not only do executive assistants manage their own work, but they also think about the needs of those they assist and find organizational structures that work for other professionals. To measure this KPI, consider what area of organization you wish to improve.

An example might be going through an old filing system and finding opportunities to update it, so files are easier to access. You can measure how long it currently takes to find files using the original system and then compare the time to how long it takes to find files using the new system. Formally measuring these metrics helps you know how much more efficient the new system is.

3. Coordination

Another important responsibility for executive assistants is coordination. This involves making arrangements to bring people from different departments or establishments together by defining itineraries, finding transportation and making accommodations. One way to track your KPIs for this skill is to request feedback after coordinating arrangements for people. You can ask them to complete a short survey to rate your performance so you can gain insight into what worked well and what you can do differently next time.

4. Collaboration

As an executive assistant, you collaborate with the business executive and other members of your administration team. Collaborating well means communicating effectively with different professionals so you can define goals and implement strategies for achieving them. You can show your collaboration skills by networking with professionals from different areas of your organization, taking on mentoring roles by working with younger professionals and new hires and using your interpersonal skills to resolve conflicts.

To measure your collaboration KPIs, consider tracking how many people you work with in a given time frame. Challenge yourself to expand your professional network by a certain percentage each month. You can also ask for feedback from those you've worked with. For example, if you led a meeting or a project, survey your team members about your performance, what strategies worked well for the group and how you can improve your collaboration skills.

5. Support

One of the primary responsibilities of an executive assistant is to provide support to an executive. This support work involves preparing meeting materials, scheduling appointments and maintaining a daily agenda or task list on the executive's behalf. Caring for these administrative tasks helps the executive focus on their role while keeping them on track for fulfilling their daily responsibilities. You can measure this KPI based on how prepared the executive feels before meetings. Asking for feedback about what methods help the executive feel prepared and on track and what you can improve on allows you to make adjustments.

6. Initiative

Executive assistants often take initiative to update systems and implement new strategies that benefit the executive. They operate independently and make decisions on behalf of the executive to reduce their workload so they can focus on their non-administrative responsibilities. Some opportunities to show initiative include setting personal improvement goals and using creative problem solving to improve existing systems. For example, you can set a goal to implement one new system each quarter to improve your productivity. This allows you to show your initiative, willingness to try new things and dedication to self-improvement.

7. Motivation

Executive assistants often work in fast-paced and challenging business environments, so having high motivation is key to thriving in this role. Motivated assistants take an active role in improving their workplace, show enthusiasm for their job and look for opportunities for self-improvement. One way to measure your motivation is to think about how many new opportunities you take within a time frame at work.

For example, gauging how many professional development opportunities you take, how many projects you volunteer to take on and how often you commit to learning new skills can demonstrate your motivation. To improve your motivation, challenge yourself to learn one new skill, participate in one professional development training or initiate one new workplace project each quarter. This shows your commitment to professional growth and can motivate you to apply new skills in the workplace.

Related: How To Get Motivated at Work

8. Scheduling

Planning and managing schedules is an important part of an executive assistant's job. In addition to coordinating schedules with others, executive assistants also help plan the executives' day. They focus on using good time management to sequence tasks throughout the day to keep executives on track for meeting key deadlines and goals. To assess your scheduling skills, ask the executive for feedback about how well-managed they feel their time is. Consider implementing new strategies like productivity apps or shared calendars that clarify meeting times and promote focus during work hours.

9. Documentation

Executive assistants often perform some administrative tasks like keeping up with paperwork for the executive. For example, they may compile receipts, record travel expenses and maintain a timecard for themselves, the executive and any members of the administration team they oversee. Good documentation skills include being complete and thorough with filing papers and making sure to submit documents on time. You can monitor and improve your documentation skills by tracking the number of errors you make and your ability to meet deadlines.

10. Budgeting

In some cases, executive assistants handle budgeting information or must work within budgeting constraints. For example, when planning travel arrangements, a dinner meeting, event or managing office inventory, the executive assistant may need to monitor the business's budgeting needs. You can assess your budgeting KPIs by monitoring your ability to plan and meet a budget. To improve your budgeting, you can set a goal to reduce costs for your department by a certain percentage and research opportunities to find more inexpensive sources for materials and discounts for travel arrangements.

11. Management

As an executive assistant, you may oversee a team of administrators who work to support the internal operations of a business. Having some management and leadership skills can help you supervise others, create effective structures for managing your department and motivate your team to produce exceptional work. To measure your management skills, consider how productive your team is under your direction. Ask your team members for feedback at regular intervals to understand your strengths and areas for improvement. Setting specific productivity objectives and involving your team in defining department goals can help your whole team improve its performance.

12. Strategic planning

Another skill for executive assistants is producing strategic plans to keep executives on track. Strategic planning involves scheduling, but also creating internal systems that improve workflows and promote productivity. Assistants create these plans for themselves and those they manage and assist. As a KPI, assess your strategic planning skills by evaluating how effective your plans are for meeting your goals. Determine how frequently your plans work to help you achieve your goals and consider what aspects of your planning process are most beneficial to your success.

13. Implementation

In addition to creating strategic plans, executive assistants also need to be effective at implementing their plans. This means they commit to their plan and make active changes to the workplace to carry out their strategies. To assess the success of implementing new plans, consider how smoothly the transition occurred. Account for any lost productivity during the transition and then reflect on what factors could have lessened the impact of the transition.

Also, consider the overall success of the plan. If the plan worked to improve overall productivity, make note of how you can use the same strategies when executing future plans.

14. Efficiency

Executive assistants need to work efficiently to achieve their goals and provide the necessary support for executives. Efficiency refers to completing work while optimizing your use of resources, such as time and budget. Efficient assistants manage their time well and meet budget goals while also fulfilling all their work requirements.

As a KPI, you can track your efficiency by tracking how successfully you meet your deadlines. Also, consider how well you stick to any budget requirements when performing your work. To improve your efficiency, challenge yourself to reduce the time it takes to finish your work by a certain percentage or find opportunities to cut your expenses.

15. Administration

Finally, executive assistants need good administration skills in their work. They handle many standard office responsibilities on behalf of executives. For example, they take phone calls, respond to emails, schedule appointments and greet visitors. Assistants can assess their administration skills as a KPI by monitoring their response times and their ability to complete their duties successfully during work hours.

For example, an executive assistant may wish to improve their administrative productivity by 30% within a quarter. They may make a list of all their administrative responsibilities and how much time they spend on each during a typical day. Then, they can work to improve how efficiently they complete tasks throughout the day by increasing their response rate and finding better ways to manage their time.