The Method — Measure
The measure phase checklist
Use this checklist to know whether Measure is genuinely finished: if you cannot produce a baseline nobody argues with, it is not.
7 min read · Reviewed by both partners
Every item below is pass or fail. Partial credit is how phases get declared complete while the business stays stuck.
The point of Measure is putting numbers on the constraint: cost to acquire by source, lifetime value, payback period. The checklist just makes that testable.
Step by step
The goal is written and it forces a change
A goal that the current operation would hit anyway is not a goal. It should make something uncomfortable.
The numbers came from your system, not an estimate
Estimates feel efficient and quietly invalidate everything downstream.
One thing is named, not five
Measure ends with a single item. A list of five means the phase has not converged.
Somebody disagreed and was answered with evidence
Unchallenged conclusions in this phase are usually just the loudest opinion in the room.
It is written down where the team can see it
A baseline nobody argues with, in a document with a date on it.
Common mistakes
Checking boxes to reach the next phase
The purpose is not to finish Measure. It is to be right about putting numbers on the constraint: cost to acquire by source, lifetime value, payback period.
Accepting ‘we already know this’
Frequently true and frequently wrong. If it is known, writing it down costs an hour and settles it.
Frequently Asked Questions
The measure phase checklist?
Every item below is pass or fail. Partial credit is how phases get declared complete while the business stays stuck.
What does Growth-Scaling need from a business owner to act on this?
It sits under The Measure Phase in the Growth Scaling Method. The next step for an owner is the $1,500 Assessment, which reads your own numbers against everything described above.
How much should we budget?
Budget $4,500 to find out what to build. Budget from $5,000 a month only if the Plan says a recurring engine is warranted — sometimes it says the opposite.
Do partners stay involved after the sale?
They are the only people involved. There is no handoff, because there is nobody to hand it to.
References
- www.nfib.com — primary source
- www.consumerfinance.gov — primary source
- www.census.gov — primary source
Check your own Measure against this
Most businesses fail two of the five, and always the same two.
Growth-Scaling is a marketing and business-scaling firm. It is not a licensed practitioner in any client vertical and does not provide medical, legal, financial, or contracting services; all industry content on this site is marketing and growth guidance for owners in those fields. Figures describing past engagements refer to specific businesses under specific conditions and are not a prediction of any future result. No outcome is promised.
Written by Steven Lockhart, reviewed by David Mitroff, Ph.D. Figures and regulatory details reflect the cited public sources; requirements vary by state and situation. Growth-Scaling is a marketing and business-scaling firm, not a licensed practitioner in any client vertical.