Answering "why that guy left" allows us to exploit success. One of the dangers of EBO, is that Commanders get hung up on "the end justifies the means" without determining which mean (MOP) caused the end (MOE). IMO, the reliance on "measurables", enabled by the ability to generate and transmit massive amounts of data, has ground both planners and the executers to a halt. I returned from my second tour in Iraq a few months ago. Both as a commander and an operations officer, I was required to measure and submit over 200 metrics each month. There was no way, practically or tactically, to do this with accuracy, but not answering the mail was not an option. So you estimate, guesstimate, and sometimes just guess what the numbers are. The smart commander, and his supporting staff, asks not "what do you know?", but "what do I need to know?" It is not about information; it is about important information. That data that leads to a decision point. Don’t ask "how many insurgents quit last month?"; ask "why did insurgents quit last month?"