Averages to distributions

Stop summarizing with one middle number. Ask instead how the cases spread out: how often the high end shows up, how often the low end, and how wide the gap is. Two situations with identical averages can need opposite fixes.

Stop summarizing with one middle number. Ask instead how the cases spread out: how often the high end shows up, how often the low end, and how wide the gap is. Two situations with identical averages can need opposite fixes.

Example

Instead of "my partner is about a 5 out of 10 on support," you tally 12 weeks: seven weeks at 8 or 9, four normal weeks at 5, one deadline week at 1. Same average, but the real problem is the crash weeks, not steady mediocrity.