Thoughts and Feedback
September 18, 2006
Here are some good comments by one of our reader's in response to our posting on metrics.
"Regarding metrics, the task force that developed our transportation department's performance measures determined five criteria for prioritizing the measures: meaningfulness, measurability, verifiability, degree of control, and the utility of the measure. Good performance measures should be meaningful, they should be measurable, they should be verifiable, an agency should have some control over their outcome, and they should have utility in improving the agency.
In George Naccara's case, the the number of finger nail files and small pocket knives confiscated is most certainly measurable and verifiable. Furthermore, he has great control over those potential weapons. However, confiscating those articles produces little meaningful and provides almost no utility toward improving airline security. Consequently, measuring finger nails and pocket knives should be a low priority.
Unfortunately, bureaucrats generally prefer style over substance, and in this case the Transportation Security Administration looks pretty good when they announce that they've confiscated millions of potential weapons during the year. George Naccara, like most dedicated public servants, prefers substance over style. This means developing meaningful measures that improve security and the airline industry."
Thoughts or reactions? Please send them to us.