Reply to: Simple Maths Question

[raphal]

Trying to represent the improvement on something an email to the business. We have a number of reports that used to generate in 45 seconds, that's now been improved to just 5 seconds.

The first person said the improvement was 80%
His boss changed it to show it as an improvement of 8x because it looks better.
While I calculate it's a decrease of 88.9% (which I could call an 'improvement'). If I was to do a times improvement though, I would say it was roughly a 4x times improvement (4.125) improvement.

What is the nX times improvement?

Assume 100 reports in 45 sec before improvement
i.e. 11.11 reports in 5 secs

Now after improvements you can do 100 reports in 5 secs.

So % of improvement is (100 - 11.11) *100/11.11 = ~ 800%

[original PM]

It all really depends on what you are using as your comparison figure

are you comparing the 5 to the 45 or the 45 to the 5

but ultimately it is just rubbish - things are better - and it now takes 5 seconds instead of 45 seconds to run a report is actually what you need to day as it is probably the only unambiguous way of stating what is happening.

there will always be some one who thinks they are dead smart but saying no it is 800% not 900 or whatever - but those people are pointless little men who really should just curl up into a ball and die

[vetran]

Thanks for all of the input. I've decided to go with

The release has improved the existing reporting so it is now faster than a scalded dog being chased by a randy Brillopad.

FTFY

by the way +1 for "9 times faster".

[MrMarkyMark]

Thanks for all of the input. I've decided to go with

The release has improved the existing reporting so it is now faster than a scalded dog.

Having achieved 500%, OK, not as good as 800%, gains in the past in a similar exercise, the users really didn't give a tulip.



On the other hand, quick enough to complain things are "to slow" though, when it suits.
We spend so much time obsessed with making everything faster, but does it make them any mre productive?

[MarillionFan]

Thanks for all of the input. I've decided to go with

The release has improved the existing reporting so it is now faster than a scalded dog.

[NickFitz]

Trying to represent the improvement on something an email to the business. We have a number of reports that used to generate in 45 seconds, that's now been improved to just 5 seconds.

The first person said the improvement was 80%
His boss changed it to show it as an improvement of 8x because it looks better.
While I calculate it's a decrease of 88.9% (which I could call an 'improvement'). If I was to do a times improvement though, I would say it was roughly a 4x times improvement (4.125) improvement.

What is the nX times improvement?

Don't worry about the maths. Just let the marketing department make up some numbers that show you beating the competition. If they don't, the sales people will anyway when talking to the customers.

[alluvial]

800%.

Oh all right. I blame autocorrect.

[LondonManc]

It's 800% faster, or it takes 11% of the time that it used to.

I'd express it as the latter because most people understand better when percentages are between 0 and 100.

[VectraMan]

Another way of looking at it is that previously you could only generate 1 report in a 45s window. This has now been improved so that you can now generate 9 in the same 45s window. Thus you can generate 9x as many reports in any given period which is an efficiency improvement of 900%.

800%.

[alluvial]

Another way of looking at it is that previously you could only generate 1 report in a 45s window. This has now been improved so that you can now generate 9 in the same 45s window. Thus you can generate 9x as many reports in any given period which is an efficiency improvement of 900%.

[WTFH]

Rather than talking about "improvement" or "rate of change", why not just say it "runs 9 times faster".


Using words like "improvement" etc are ambiguous and tend to be used by people trying to make themselves sound better. Tell a user that it's 9x FASTER and they get it.

[pr1]

Uh....a one times improvement would be no improvement because, y'know, maths

If you have one banana and I double your lot (a 2x improvement) then you'll have two bananas.

"5% improvement" = *1.05
"100% improvement" = *2.00
"200% (2x) improvement" = *3.00

[VectraMan]

Uh....a one times improvement would be no improvement because, y'know, maths

If you have one banana and I double your lot (a 2x improvement) then you'll have two bananas.

No, the improvement, i.e. the increase is 1 banana. Therefore it's a 1x improvement. 1+ 1 = 2 and all that. A 2x improvement would mean I now have three bananas.

It's amazing the human race has achieved anything with this to contend with.

[vwdan]

The improvement is only 40 seconds, not 45.

Then again, a two times improvement to most people would mean double what it was before, even though it's only a one times improvement.

Uh....a one times improvement would be no improvement because, y'know, maths

If you have one banana and I double your lot (a 2x improvement) then you'll have two bananas.

[VectraMan]

Isn't it a 9x times improvement. 45 seconds being 9x slower than 5s?

The improvement is only 40 seconds, not 45.

Then again, a two times improvement to most people would mean double what it was before, even though it's only a one times improvement.