Before the adoption of the metric system and the standardization of measurement units, trade and science were hindered by measurement ambiguity leading to error and fraud. From the standard definition of the metre in 1791, to the French law of 1795 on weights and measures enacted during the French Revolution, to the foundation of the Bureau International des Poids et Mesures in 1875, and to the establishment of the International System of Units (SI) in 1960, measurement standards and methods have been continuously refined and this process will most certainly never end (BIPM, 2019, Franceschini et al., 2019, p. 49-51).

Around 1775, Condorcet had dreamed of a universal standard that would not be based on any national vanity. 245 years later, we could make a similar dream, even though at a much smaller scale. Looking at how organizations clumsily measure the performance of their cybersecurity and IAM practice (just to mention these fields), I imagine a time were organizations would cease to continuously reinvent the wheel and start adopting standardized performance measures designed by careful research.

Such performance measures have the potential to trigger an interesting feedback loop were research would gain access to more data of higher quality and provide organizations with new insights on how to become better at whatever they do.