Operational Definition

Example

How Clean is “Clean”?

Dr. Deming, in his management courses talked at length about the importance of operational definitions in establishing how people carried out their work. His example revolved around the process of cleaning a table. He argued that it was important to define "how clean"  the table should be.

Is “a clean table” descriptive enough if you want to:

• Do crafts upon? To do crafts upon would require a simple washing up with a sponge and water.
• Eat lunch from? To eat from would require soap and water.
• Perform surgery on? For surgical cleanliness requires sterilization and antiseptics.