Are You Data Driven?

Patti Gilchrist, PMP, is a Senior Technical Manager with more than 20 years of IT experience. Visit her website at www.freepmstudy.com

  Business Intelligence   Strategy  

Have you ever been in a meeting where vociferously expressed opinions--which offered little or no valuable insight--were embraced simply because the person speaking had a position of power? Have you ever encountered situations where participants ceded to the loudest and most confident speaker in the room, regardless of whether the points were relevant to solve the problem at hand? Have you ever felt that it appeared that decisions were made by brute force instead of collaborative debate, analysis of data and tangible criteria?

“If we have data, let’s look at data. If all we have are opinions, let’s go with mine.” -- Jim Barksdale, former Netscape CEO

Most of us know the resistance that can arise when presenting new ideas that challenge the status quo or offering creative insights and thoughts to address age-old problems. Battling egos and office politics can be tiresome. Additionally, poor communication styles, bad leadership, inexperience--and the list goes on--all present challenges when it comes to effectively confronting business problems. But just as this quote from Barksdale suggests, the existence of data can provide a mechanism for change. Data can empower you with the confidence to drive for change.

Research suggests that a data-driven approach to decision making offers competitive advantages. And data-driven approaches allow …

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