A new hire shows up on the org chart whether or not it paid off.
A productivity gain only shows up if someone measured it.”
The test
The Two-Quarter Standard
An investment can be proven only if four things are set before the money is spent.
1
A captured before
Today’s number, written down and dated before the work starts.
2
One named metric
Not a dashboard. One number the investment agrees to be judged on.
3
A window with a date on it
A read date inside two quarters, before the decision that renews the spend.
4
A published result
Someone reports what happened on the date they said, including when it did not work.
Miss one of the four and the investment cannot be proven. Spending that cannot be proven is the first to go when the budget tightens.