W. Edwards Deming Quotes

Measure what is measurable, and make measurable what is not so.

What gets measured, gets done.

Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts

We don’t have any metrics on that.

We only value something when we measure it.

You can't control what you can't measure

The No. 1 criticism most managers get is that they don't ever change or wait too long to make changes... It's very simple: Either things are performing or they're not. And if it's not performing, we have to make changes.

I'm addicted to change and therefore I get bored easily. Results have always motivated me, which has led me to developing ways to measure things that historically have not been measurable.

And I believe in having an administration that has clearly defined goals, objectives and time lines such that it and its people can be held accountable.

Science cannot progress without reliable and accurate measurement of what it is you are trying to study. The key is measurement, simple as that.

There are many things that you can't measure. But the great fun of what I do for a living is figuring out ways to measure things that people previously considered intangible.

To measure is to know. If you can not measure it, you can not improve it.

Whenever you can, count.

Not everything that counts can be counted.

Data not only measures progress—it inspires it. Once you start measuring problems, people are more inclined to take action to fix them, because nobody wants to end up at the bottom of a list of rankings.

Everywhere you turn, there are lists and statistics. Any business, any sport, any hobby - we will try to categorize who is the best at some component of that endeavor. It's part human nature and part technology, since we have been conditioned to have access to answers and trivial problems at our fingertips.

I have been struck again and again by how important measurement is to improving the human condition.

Stats aren't everything.

You'll never be able to really measure anything, right? Including teachers.

Peter Drucker has pointed out that it is a manager's job to "do things right." It is an executive's job to make sure "the right things" get done. Even the most rigorous eco-efficient business paradigm does not challenge basic practices and methods: a shoe, building, factory, car, or shampoo can remain fundamentally ill-designed even as the materials and processes involved in its manufacture become more "efficient."

Leaders are people who do the right thing: managers are people who do things right. Both roles are crucial, but they differ profoundly. I often observe people in top positions doing wrong things well.

Your job as CEO is to be the fastest person of the company.

The old story is a story of measurement. And the New Story is to bring measurement and meaning together. You cannot measure meaning.

It is the inescapable duty of management to fire incompetent people.

I finished reading High Output Management by Andrew Grove, which had such valuable insights for leaders that I've been forcing managers at Duolingo to read the book.