1;Foreword;5 2;Preface;7 3;Contents;9 4;1. Quality and process indicators;12 4.1;1.1 General concepts;12 4.2;1.2 Quality Management Systems;13 4.3;1.3 The concept of process;15 4.4;1.4 Process indicators;18 5;2. Indicators criticalities and curiosities;32 5.1;2.1 Introduction;32 5.2;2.2 HDI indicator;33 5.3;2.3 Air quality indicators;43 5.4;2.4 The Decathlon competition;59 6;3. The condition of uniqueness in process representation;65 6.1;3.1 Introduction;65 6.2;3.2 The formal concept of "indicator";66 6.3;3.3 The condition of "uniqueness";71 7;4. Performance indicators properties;82 7.1;4.1 Introduction;82 7.2;4.2 Local and aggregated performances;82 7.3;4.3 General remarks;84 7.4;4.4 Indicators classification;86 7.5;4.5 A brief outline of the indicators properties in the literature;91 7.6;4.6 A proposal of a taxonomy for indicators properties;93 7.7;4.7 Accessory properties;110 7.8;4.8 Indicators construction and check of properties;111 8;5. Designing a performance measurement system;117 8.1;5.1 Introduction;117 8.2;5.2 The concept of performance measurement system;117 8.3;5.3 The construction process;121 8.4;5.4 A review of the major reference models;131 8.5;5.5 The problem of indicators' synthesis;147 8.6;5.6 Implementing a system of performance indicators;174 8.7;5.7 Maintaining a performance measurement system;202 8.8;5.8 Effective use and misuse of indicators;203 8.9;5.9 Indicators as conceptual technologies;207 9;6. Indicators, measurements, preferences and evaluations: a scheme of classification according to the representational theory;215 9.1;6.1 Introduction;215 9.2;6.2 Two criteria of discrimination: empiricity and objectivity;216 9.3;6.3 The representational definition of measurement;218 9.4;6.4 Evaluations;222 9.5;6.5 Preference;227 9.6;6.6 The concept of "dictation";231 9.7;6.7 Conclusions;232 10;References;235 11;Index;245