There’s usually two ways to look at software quality: intrinsic quality and extrinsic quality. Intrinsic is what makes sure the software runs as expected (performance metrics, test coverage, how long it takes to deploy, code complexity, size, etc.). Extrinsic is what makes sure it’s fit for purpose, which is a lot harder to measure. It’s usually from the point of view of the customer (are people using it? how many complaints? are people paying for it?)

But, as you said, this leaves out a lot of quality attributes that should be managed but can’t be measured, like: usability, gameplay (if you’re building games), customer satisfaction, team/employee satisfaction, …

Regards,
Danilo

Can you share an example of something you manage, but cannot be measured?

You’re right that the things that are easy to measure often aren’t the important things.

mark