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Quality 5.0—Quantifying the "Unmeasurable" With Tom Gilb and Simon Holzapfel
BONUS: Quality 5.0—Quantifying the "Unmeasurable" With Tom Gilb and Simon Holzapfel Clarification Before Quantification
"Quantification is not the main idea. The key idea is clarification—so that the executive team understands each other."
Tom emphasizes that measurement is a means to an end. The real goal is shared understanding. But quantification is a powerful clarification tactic because it forces precision. When someone says they want a "very fast car," asking "can we define a scale of measure?" immediately surfaces the vagueness. Miles per hour? Acceleration time? Top speed? Each choice defines what you're actually optimizing for.
The Scale-Meter-Target Framework"First, define a scale of measure. Second, define the meter—the device for measuring. Third, set numbers: where are we now, what's the minimum to survive, and what does success look like?"
Tom's framework makes the abstract concrete:
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Scale of measure: What dimension are you measuring? (e.g., time to complete task)
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Meter: How will you measure it? (e.g., user testing with stopwatch)
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Past/Status: Where are you now? (e.g., currently takes 47 seconds)
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Tolerable: What's the minimum acceptable? (e.g., must be under 30 seconds to survive)
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Target/Goal: What does success look like? (e.g., 15 seconds or less)
Many important concepts like "usability" decompose into 10+ different scales of measure—you're not looking for one magic number but a set of relevant metrics.
Trust as the Organizational Hormone
Published on 1 day, 18 hours ago