The Myth of Measurement

Image created by DALL·E 2 (OpenAI)

According to Peter Drucker, you can't manage what you can't measure. Dr. Deming is also often credited with this quote. Deming clarified his point in his last book, written in 1993 at 93. According to him, it is a costly myth to assume that if you can't measure it, you can't manage it. He said, "It is wrong to suppose that if you can't measure it, you can't manage it."

Deming's theory of variation well illustrates this idea. Three people might give you different answers if you ask them to count the number of people in the room. Depending on how each counter defines the room, the responses vary. Does the count include the people serving food or just the guests? Can the count include an open patio attached to the room, and should those people be counted as well? Many questions have no exact answers. Even when things cannot be measured, they must still be managed, and managers must make decisions regardless.