Measurement in the workplace: the case of process improvement in manufacturing industry

In the context of education, measurement is often defined as the process of assigning a numerical value to an attribute of an object or event. Using three case studies of "process improvement'', the purpose of this article is to show how measurement takes place in manufacturing industry. We ask: What are the key issues involved in measurement that should inform the design of education and training for measurement? First, our research suggests that the definition of measurement should be enhanced so as to include the quantification of processes and multivariate constructs that aim to capture key performance indicators of production processes. Secondly, technology plays a complex role because it can lead not only to automation and increased invisibility of data, but also to the availability of information otherwise not accessible. Thirdly, we suggest that the use of the inferentialist concept of "web of reasons'' in addition to more commonly used concepts such as "practice'' or "activity'' can help to focus not only on the what and how, but also on the why of measurement.