Measurement is not new…it has been around since the beginning of time. The sophistication of measurement has grown and improved as time has progressed. David Landes said, “It can be persuasively argued that improvements in the measurement of time were the most important physical advances in the history of Western Civilization, without which few of the other advances would have been likely.” In fact, all scientific and industrial progress has been dependent on increasingly more refined measurement tools.
Although at times we may wish that the measurement of time weren’t so precise and always ‘in our face’, it is true that without that frame of reference, other measurements would be meaningless.
What makes measurement so powerful is its ability to instigate action--to propel people to move forward and make progress. As Louis Pasteur said, “A science is as mature as its measurement tools.” Its interesting then how much more advanced the use of measurement is in the scientific arena as compared to business. We have the technology. We understand the importance. Why aren’t we using measurement more effectively in our businesses?
