Better requires measurement you are willing to be wrong about
Most improvement programs measure what is easy to defend. The useful metric is usually the one that could embarrass you.
By Corey Mack · Columnist, What Better Requires
Published July 29, 2026
6 min read
Key takeaways
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- Views expressed are the author's personal views unless otherwise noted.
DEMO CONTENT — This entry is sample material created to demonstrate layout and structure. It does not describe real laws, payer requirements, or official guidance.
We talk constantly about making things better. But what does better actually require? In practice, it usually requires something specific and uncomfortable: a decision someone has been avoiding, a system nobody owns, or a standard that was never written down.
This essay looks at measurement — not as a slogan, but as a set of obligations. Better requires clarity about who decides. It requires measurement that survives contact with the people being measured. And it requires leaders willing to say what they will stop doing.
Most organizations do not fail at ambition. They fail at sequencing. The work that would actually move the outcome sits behind three other things that felt more urgent, and the urgent work never ends.
The practical test is simple: name the constraint, name the owner, name the date. If any of the three is missing, the improvement is still an intention.
Who this affects
- Leaders accountable for outcomes
- Operators designing internal metrics
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Citations
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- ReferencePrimary — federal payer policyMedicaid.gov
Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services · Federal Medicaid policy, state plan information, and program guidance.
- ReferencePrimary — certification bodyBehavior Analyst Certification Board
BACB · Certification requirements, ethics codes, and supervision standards for BCBAs and RBTs.
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Correction history
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Submit a correction for this entryThis article is general educational information about the Applied Behavior Analysis industry. It is not legal, compliance, billing, or clinical advice, and ABA Command Center is not a law firm. Always consult the primary source and qualified professionals before acting.
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