How to Measure Anything: Finding the Value of "Intangibles" in Business

Anything can be measured. This bold assertion is the key to solving many problems in business and life in general. The myth that certain things can't be measured is a significant drain on our nation's economy, public welfare, the environment, and even national security. In fact, the chances are good that some part of your life or your professional responsibilities is greatly harmed by a lack of measurement—by you, your firm, or even your government. Building up from simple concepts to illustrate the hands-on yet intuitively easy application of advanced statistical techniques, How to Measure Anything reveals the power of measurement in our understanding of business and the world at large. This insightful and engaging book shows you how to measure those things in your business that until now you may have considered "immeasurable," including technology ROI, organizational flexibility, customer satisfaction, and technology risk. Offering examples that will get you to attempt measurements—even when it seems impossible—this book provides you with the substantive steps for measuring anything, especially uncertainty and risk. Don't wait—listen to this book and find out: —The three reasons why things may seem immeasurable but are not —Inspirational examples of where seemingly impossible measurements were resolved with surprisingly simple methods —How computing the value of information will show that you probably have been measuring all the wrong things —How not to measure risk —Methods for measuring "soft" things like happiness, satisfaction, quality, and more —How to fine-tune human judges to be powerful, calibrated measurement instruments —How you can use the Internet as an instrument of measurement A complete resource with case studies, How to Measure Anything illustrates how author Douglas Hubbard—creator of Applied Information Economics—has used his approach across various industries. You'll learn how any problem, no matter how difficult, ill-defined, or uncertain, can lend itself to measurement using proven methods. Straightforward and easy-to-follow, this is the resource you'll refer to again and again—beyond measure.