When I first saw the title of this thread I was going deflect the question.....
Clay buddy in addition to what Coach Tony said if you record the deflection data and bracing data for each top you have a better shot at modifying or repeating to a degree your results another time.
I think that we all probably have our own systems for measuring deflection so that data that has been recorded is useless to anyone else unless they use the same system. Just suspend your top between 2 fixed points (and record the distance or better yet set-up a jig so you can repeat this) and place a given weight on the top and measure the top's deflection and record same. I have only done this along the grain so far but it could be done across the grain too but with less weight then I use......
The real value of the data comes into play when you start acquiring a bit of a database of results to compare and contrast and develop a method/system to accurately evaluate your guitars..... The later of the two is NO easy task to quantify and perhaps impossible....