Member Poem

COUNTERFACTUAL

What would otherwise have occurred
Perhaps a mere a philosophical exercise
An analytical tool, not a mere concept
Calculating the impact of intervention
Its scope and scale, even of prevention
Yet depends upon the skills of an adept
And in turn, may even cause a surprise
Despite what many may have inferred

Quantifying benefits of risk mitigation
Or even determine a break-even point
A mathematical approach in soft guise
As key business decisions are affected
By the actions that finally get selected
Determining where the sensitivity lies
It just may put some noses out of joint
Even causing management perturbation

But there are few that will understand
Juggling data concerning what’s unreal
Making decisions based on projections
To think about what might have been
Then measuring what is actually seen
And being mature about corrections
It is figures, less of what one may feel
It’s about afterwards, not beforehand