Database Reference
In-Depth Information
PITFALLS ON THE PATH TO
DATA FLUENCy
By itself, data isn't enough. A singular focus on investing in technology to man-
age and visualize your data won't get it done. Leaders committed to a data-
driven enterprise are great . . . but still more is needed. Even a team of good
people isn't enough. While all of these factors are necessary for data fluency,
the pieces alone are not sufficient to transform your organization's use of data.
Below we discuss a few illustrative ways organizations are unable to align all
the factors necessary to reach data fluency. Of course, there are many ways to
fail. We will describe a few. In doing so, we hope you can draw comparisons to
your own organization so that it becomes more clear how an area of weakness
in your organization's culture, skills, or capabilities can act as a roadblock that
stifles your best efforts at data informed decision-making.
In sharing the cases below, we also hope you will feel a little less alone as you
and your organization seek greater levels of data fluency.
REPORT PROLIFERATION
Reports have a way of multiplying like rabbits. Start with a perfectly useful
and important report: a monthly sales report with product enhancements and
utilization metrics sent to strategic accounts to make them aware of improve-
ments coming and past usage. Customers see the information and want to
know more. The report grows. A missing metric is added along with a detailed
breakout. The report expands to the point where it gets split into separate
reports, each targeted as a separate audience. Then a new executive arrives
with her own perspective on the best way to present the same data. New
reports are spawned, but the old ones don't go away. Someday, somebody
might still find them useful.
We've seen this report proliferation in all kinds of organizations—hospitals,
schools, technology companies, insurance companies, and manufacturers. “If
we report on everything, surely the right information will exist somewhere
in a report.” Perhaps they're right, but if no one can find what they need,
everyone's left sorting rabbits.
Even sophisticated analytics companies can scarcely control the tendency
toward report carpet-bombing. We consulted for a large healthcare company
who was fighting against an institutional culture that always pushed for more
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