Enabling data-driven decisions
Post by Karl Southern |
For some people, making decisions is an intuitive ability. Strategic, tactical or personal, decisions happen quickly and lead to successful outcomes. If you are one of these people, this article may not be for you. If, however, you are one of a larger group of people who need the support of something more empirical, please read on.
The pandemic led to a resurgence of interest in data and the information that flows from it. Millions pour over the latest infection numbers and hospital occupancy to help understand what they face. Seeing these statistics allows us to understand the rationale behind strategic decisions in the fight against the Novel Coronavirus. It also affords others a basis on which to question some of those decisions.
It is no different for your organisations. You make decisions based on the information available to you. Access to the information you collect is the start of the story. How you use the information, to whom you provide it, and what they use it for is up to you and them. The richer the information you can see, the broader its reach in helping you make the right decisions.
If you are a Visualfiles user then there is good news, it facilitates this kind of data-driven decision making incredibly well. Visualfiles lets you choose what information you record and when you collect it. In essence, the information you have for reporting becomes a valuable by-product of running a case.
What is more, you can also embed rich visualisations of information within Visualfiles itself. Thus, you make the Visualfiles information accessible to those who need it, making consumption easy and ensuring the timeliness of what you show.
Of course, it isn't just your staff that need access to information. Consumers of your service or the people who provide you with work can also access information on a schedule of their choosing based on the reporting tool you want to use. You support people getting the information they need when they need it, e.g., weekly, monthly, or even real-time. Remember, the information you provide can form part of the service you offer.
Organisations have the opportunity to take advantage of the power that sits within their data. Empirical evidence highlights that better performing teams use data more than those who don't perform as well. Remember the W. Edwards Deming's quote:
"Without data, you're just another person with an opinion."
As an engineer and statistician, he knew the importance of data-driven decisions.
If this subject is of interest, we have a video that demonstrates how Visualfiles provides users with information at their fingertips to facilitate informed decision making. To request access to the video, please email us and we will contact you with the link.
About the Author: Karl Southern
In an IT career that has spanned well over twenty-five years, Karl has spent time in consultancy, operations, product management and solutions design. Particular areas of his expertise include integration, mobility, and exploiting information. Our clients do amazing things with our technology, and what Karl enjoys most about his role, is helping clients to unlock the potential of our software, so that they can achieve amazing things too.
Some of his colleagues have pointed out that he is a geek by nature due to his keen interest in all things technical. He takes this as a huge compliment. Outside of work, Karl likes to walk, albeit slowly; a pace he blames on frequent pauses to take photographs.
Read all Karl Southern's posts | See all our contributors