SME are actually Small, Medium Enteprises and has got huge difference in pattern of entrepreneurship as well as Capex and Budget. Therefore, their Business performance is needed to be built with respect to the country and region may be. In India, this is the most urorganised sector, therefore data is not standard everywhere. Better to frame questionnaire based upon experience, test and use in final study.
Take a look at that model for measuring scalability in terms of innovations. At least you might use the methodology for developing such a solution for your purposes.
Two types of performance measurement, namely objective measure (financial) and subjective measure (perceptual). Whilst both measures have advantages, objective measure is more difficult to get and often not real. SMEs tend not to reveal their financial report for the reasons of such as confidentiality etc.
I concur, that one would have to ensure that an appropriate education is provided. That can be achieved through a community of practice. Educators have various approaches to assessing how an individual acquires knowledge and retains that knowledge. Action research is a great opportunity to determine the immediate needs of a learning organization, then identify a solution for implementation.
Principal Components Factor Analysis - Varimax rotation Factors indicating to the Performance of Small Scale Industries can be used. A SWOT/PEST analysis, Porters Five forces analysis are among the various tools available