Why a Consistent Metric Can Still Be Measuring the Wrong Thing

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In measurement theory, reliability and validity are two distinct properties that are often conflated. A metric is reliable if it produces the same result under identical conditions, and valid if it actually measures the concept it claims to measure. A scale consistently reading 2 kg too high is perfectly reliable but invalid for tracking true body weight. Similarly, a call center's metric showing 95% of calls answered quickly may be reliable yet invalid if it excludes customers who hung up before connecting. Every published number carries an implicit validity claim, making it essential to question not just consistency but whether the right thing is being measured at all.

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