That tension is sometimes necessary and desirable, for the professional ethos tends to discount issues of cost and opportunity cost. That is, the professional is inclined to see only the advantages of providing more of his or her services, without much attention to the limits of resources, or their alternate uses. Professionals don’t like to think about costs. Metrics folks do. When the two groups work together, the result can be greater satisfaction for both. When they are pitted against one another, the result is conflict and declining morale.
