O que medir

"Here are a few steps to dig into your measurements and identify if they can be trusted:
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1. Clarify what you want to know. Too many managers give this step short shrift.
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2. Understand how actual measurements line up with what you want to know. The next step is to see how closely the measurements you’re getting line up with what you really want.
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3. Account for weaknesses in the measurement process. All measurement devices have failure/error modes, and it is important that managers get to know them. People lie in surveys, countries manipulate numbers to look good, weather vanes fill up with sand, and so on. More complicated measurements involve a detailed definition of terms, sampling, remote data collection, and extensive analyses. And things can go wrong at any step along the way.
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4. Subject results to the “smell test.”
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This month’s results come in far better (or worse) than expected, and they scurry around to explain why, rarely considering the possibility of a bad measurement. I advise managers to develop a keen sense of smell. When results just don’t smell right, dig deeper!"

Um desafio recente numa PME:

• suspeitávamos que a empresa entregava sistematicamente fora do prazo encomendas que tinha em armazém;
• suspeitávamos que a empresa tinha custos de entrega superiores ao orçamentado porque fazia entregas com o camião longe de estar cheio.

Como medir a taxa de utilização do camião e os custos extra incorridos por causa da deficiente preparação das entregas?

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Tivemos de abandonar esses desejos. O ponto 3 mostrou o seu poder.

Trechos retirados de "4 Steps for Thinking Critically About Data Measurements"