the.com/metric
What gets measured gets managed — and often gamed into meaninglessness.
means A standard of measurement used to track performance or progress, turning something abstract into a number you can point to.
from From Greek 'metron,' meaning measure — the same root that gives us 'meter' and 'geometry' (literally 'earth-measuring'). 'Metric' entered English via French 'métrique,' originally tied to meter-based measurement systems, before business and science stretched it to cover any quantifiable yardstick — a word built to measure, now bent to measure everything, including things that quietly resist being measured.
- goodhart's law
- any metric, once targeted, stops measuring truth
- vanity trap
- easy numbers often replace hard, meaningful ones
- origin
- from greek metrikos, meaning of measuring
- best use
- compass, not destination