Tight glycaemic control has emerged as a major focus in critical care. However, the struggle to repeat, improve and standardize the results of the initial landmark studies is ongoing. The prospective computerized glycaemic control study by Shulman et al. highlights two emerging and often overlooked aspects of intensive insulin therapy protocols beyond simple glycaemic performance. First, the clinical ergonomics and ability to integrate into the critical care unit workflow must be considered as they may impact results and definitely affect uptake. Second, the real lessons of any protocol's performance are likely to be best realized by comparison with other results, a task that is very difficult without a consensus method of reporting that allows such comparisons across studies. Embracing these issues will take the field closer to accepted, repeatable approaches to tight glycaemic control.