We frequently describe our value through the activities we complete. We report how many plans we've developed, how many exercises we've conducted, how many employees we've trained, and how many people our preparedness campaigns have reached. These numbers demonstrate that work is happening, and they have a legitimate place in program management. But they don't necessarily tell leadership what that work accomplished, which risks were reduced, or what the organization can now do that it couldn't do before.

We know how to count what we do. We aren't always as good at measuring what changes because we did it.

And until we get better at making that connection, we're going to continue struggling to compete for resources against investments whose value is easier to explain.