4-58. Stability operations, especially in post-conflict situations, often take a long time with military forces gauging progress over the course of months or years. Effective forces consider responsiveness for selecting measurement tools in stability. In stability, responsiveness is the speed with which a desired change can be detected by a measurement tool. In practice, responsiveness varies greatly among potential measures of effectiveness. It is critical to select measures of effectiveness and supporting indicators as responsive as possible during the conduct of these operations. Patience is also critical as tactical impatience can lead to selecting indicators that satisfy reporting requirements but that do not provide an accurate assessment.