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Name Scale quantifier
Concept Number
Definition a Parameter used to describe a Product Quality and/or Stakeholder Value, in a variable measurable way, outlining the variation from – infinity to + infinity through quantification, or a dimension of goodness from worst level to the best level.
Examples Scale: average time in minutes, to learn how to program contact names and telephone numbers into the memory of the phone.

see Scale db for an extensive list of examples.
Notes The Scale quantifier describes a dimension of ‘how well’, which is critical to avoid failure and/or can ensure success in the project. The Stakeholder Values and Product Qualities are expressed through the Scale quantifier.
It is crucial to find and specify the critical Stakeholder Values and Product Qualities, and to find out how to Quantify them as directly as possible in the Scale quantifier. The Scale quantifier is the heart of Stakeholder Value and Product Quality specifications. Stakeholders should agree that improvements along the Scale quantifier are exactly what they want from the project, that improvements along the Scale will make them dance in the street and that they would love to pay for it, otherwise we probably will improve in the wrong direction.
The Scale contains a unit of Measure and a description of its context. The unit of Measure is left open (empty), as in “average time in minutes” without entering a specific number. This way we can reuse the Scale without rewriting it for each point along the Scale quantifier.
We never use more than one Scale per Stakeholder Value or Product Quality statement. When we need several Scales to express a Stakeholder Value or Product Quality, we break them up and create a new Stakeholder Value or Product Quality for each Scale with its own Name, and its own set of parameters (Past, Goal etc.)
Scale defines the ‘how well’ and should not be confused with how we measure. We will call the how we Measure a Meter, as in speedoMeter. We will discuss the use of Meter after we have discussed Scale.

Illustration: the arrows are symbolic of the Scale Quantifiers. From left to right is symbolic of from worse to better.
Illustration
Related Concepts Stakeholder Values, Product Qualities, Development Resources, Past, Status, Tolerable, Goal, Wish, Parameter.
Synonyms Scale, Scale of Measure
Language Name Variants
Submitted Kai Thomas Gilb
Editor Kai Thomas Gilb