Using metrics to influence developers, executives, and stakeholders

The evening before the space shuttle Challenger explosion, engineers at NASA caught what they thought was a potentially catastrophic risk with the o-rings considering the unusually cold temperature expected for the morning’s launch. They brought the issue to management attention but failed to influence the final decision enough to stop the launch. As a leader in your organization, your failure to influence may not cost lives but it could be “catastrophic” for your business.