The year is wrapping up and many people are looking forward to some rest, relaxation, and celebration of the holidays. It’s also a time for reflection as we think about our resolutions for the new year. 2012 was certainly the year of Big Data. Let’s see if we can make 2013 the year of using Big Data effectively. Here are ten resolutions that will improve your effectiveness at using Big Data:
- I will focus on communicating a logical, reasonable story about my business and the issues we face.
- I will use data to SUPPORT my story rather than BE my story (e.g., I’ll stop presenting numbers and charts).
- I will start my presentations with conclusions, interpretations, and recommendations and then lay out my evidence.
- I will use my bias to generate questions rather than answers (the data will provide the answers).
- I will not jump into data without a question or hypothesis to guide my thinking.
- I will move the charts, tables, and graphs to the appendix and instead focus my presentations on the issues and recommendations.
- I will stop looking at or presenting too much data at once.
- I will separate the data that is relevant to my decisions from data that is simply related to my decisions.
- I will organize my reports around answers or decisions rather than just providing information.
- I will collaborate with others to find meaning in my data.
If you need any help these resolutions, you may want to consider our “Beyond Big Data” workshop for your organization. Click here for more information: http://www.kolarassociates.com/downloads/BeyondBigDataOverview.pdf.
