Today, the challenge of marketplace success hinges less on what you can say, but on what you can prove. Toward that end, companies are developing sophisticated metrics — for both themselves and their suppliers — that allow them to assess the design and life-cycle of products . . . and to communicate that to a variety of audiences. Hear Wal-Mart’s Rand Waddoups and other leaders to hear how metrics are becoming a growing force behind design decisions.