"One measurement is better than 1,000 opinions": is it?

Objective data are central to quality management. This is expressed in the Danish quality management slogan: "One measurement is better than 1,000 opinions." This article discusses the truth of this. The data used come from a study of how two companies interpreted customer surveys. More than 90 per cent of the arguments they used were directed at explaining away negative results. There is a need for a discussion in quality management on how to ensure that data play the role they should play. The article concludes with seven organizational rules for turning empirical measurement into the potent weapon it can be.