What you measure, you improve

I am back on the road (Calgary this time). I did not work out today. Perhaps I should read my own Work Out Inspration Article .

If you can't measure it, you can't manage it is the tag line of TimeTECH a time and attendance management company.

Some variation on this expression has been used in business for years. I like the variation - If you can't measure it, you can't improve it since I am a continuous improvment person.

This started me thinking. Is it possible to change everything into a measurable. For example, can calmness or niceness be measured?

One concern I have with measurement is do we track only the measurable and ignore the things that are tough to measure?

And if we are not careful, we forget to add the quality measurement. For example I could tick off that I worked out today (and I did not yet) but perhaps I did not push as hard as yesterday or last week so it is a good idea to try to add that measure also.

So my goal today is to look at my measurements to see how I can add the quality to it.

And a quote to make you think:

Success is dangerous. One begins to copy oneself, and to copy oneself is more dangerous than to copy others. It leads to sterility.

Pablo Picasso