The Journey to Data Fluency - Data Fluency: Empowering Your Organization with Effective Data Communication - page 191

As you consider the path toward data fluency—whether for yourself or your
organization—we want to emphasize once again that it is both challenging
and worthwhile.
We have worked with dozens of organizations; every one has been deeply
motivated to make use of their data. We often find pockets of skilled employ-
ees who were data fluent both as consumers and authors. Yet these people
are usually frustrated by colleagues who were unable or unwilling to engage
with the data. We have seen organizational cultures that have a clear and
shared understanding of the metrics that matter. Yet it is more familiar for us
to see organizations that are burying themselves in dozens or hundreds of
“key metrics.” Most rare of all are organizations that have a stable process for
creating quality data products, disseminating them to the right audiences,
and improving their content and messages over time.
The journey to data fluency is a difficult path but the potential value is vast.
Imagine if you could understand your customer's behaviors, and deliver this
insight into the eager hands of salespeople and customer service representa-
tives. Imagine if everyone in your organization knew which metrics they should
focus on, and where to find reports that explain opportunities to improve
these metrics. Imagine if your meetings revolved around pointed analyses that
attendees could understand and next steps were clearly defined. Imagine if
follow-up was tracked. Imagine if everyday decisions were informed by just
the right data, and everyday discussions balanced experience with analytical
insight.
We hope that by reading this topic you can begin to recognize the skills and
organizational capabilities you already have—and find the gaps you need to
ill. This topic ofers the landmarks that will help you track your progress and
a guide for your journey to data fluency.
NOTES
1. Thomas H. Davenport and Jeanne G. Harris, Competing on Analytics: The
New Science of Winning (Boston, Harvard Business Review Press, 2007).
2. Thomas Davenport, “Organizing Analytics and Big Data,”
International Institute for Analytics. Published September 23, 2013.
Retrieved on June 1, 2014 from http://iianalytics.com/research/
organizing-analytics-and-big-data