Once metrics drive promotions, bonuses, and firings, they will be gamed. Just because something can be measured doesn't mean that should be. For profit organization have one goal - profit, non-profits including government agencies have many, they shouldn't be run like a business. This is Muller's argument in a nutshell of a nutshell.

He gives his argument in the first chapter and then expands and supports through out the rest of the books.

It's been my experience that once a metric become a determining factor for someones job, it gets gamed. And that's the main argument against metrics. It also seem that pay for performance doesn't work in for profit so why transfer to non-profits.

A lot of this is things that I've felt or sense but it helps for the author to bring it all together.

however, since he gives everything away up front and writes in a more academic style, it gets dry after 100 pages, which is ok because the book is only like 185 pages.

So next time a politician wants to do no child left behind or a something like that, read this book. Metrics often are misused in the private space and are even worse in the public / non-profit space. Mueller really hammers that.