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John Wessel's avatar

Edward Deming and his system of profound knowledge come to mind here. The realization that many dashboards simply result in what Deming calls “tampering” by management. And unfortunately the unexplained wiggles are some of the most tempting data points for this…

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John Wessel's avatar

I have thought a lot about simple metrics vs flashy data insights recently.

The data/dashboards that make a difference in my personal life on a day to day basis are never “insights.” Here is a short list.

1) fuel gauge on my car - I get gas when it’s low

2) apple watch 3 rings - try to go on a walk when my exercise ring is low

3) scale - try to adjust my exercise to calorie ratio when the number gets higher

No amazing insights from data - just numbers with clear actions to take to change them.

As has been mentioned - accountants have this stuff nailed down pretty well. Not sure why it’s taking the rest of us so long… 😁

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