We Can (Nearly) Measure Anything

"We had some great results — but you can't measure them!"

"Not everything that counts can be counted!"

These are common arguments in M&E. The reason for this confusion is the misconception that M&E always aims for precise, scientific measurements. Our work is actually about measuring to reduce uncertainty.

Can we measure happiness? Yes. Not precisely, but we can measure approximate levels and how they change over time. We can ask people regularly how happy they feel on a scale from 1 to 10. Or use face recognition software to track how often people smile per day.

In fact, the World Happiness Report regularly ranks countries by happiness. Bhutan sets policies based on a Gross National Happiness index.

In a nutshell: If we can observe a thing in any way at all, we can also measure it.

And we know: What gets measured, gets done.

Want to learn more? Check out the video course on Practical Results Based Management on Udemy.