Against metrics: how measuring performance by numbers backfires
As I read through the 50-odd comments, I wound up with a kanban / 5 whys level thought.  All these points of discussion revolve around pluses and minuses of metrics, but the next level is "Why establish metrics at all?"At a deeper (very generalized) level, we've been infected by production line, Deming style, efficiency focus.If you are handling previously defined routines, great.  Optimizing can help you.As soon as you are working with adding value, be it in code, education, product development, metrics are all premature optimization.Promote the idea that you can't apply optimization techniques to creative steps and encourage managers to get off the numerical crutches and make value judgments.  Takes a better manager but then that's the point anyway, right?