Transformation for any organization can be complex. It is important to know what small steps you can take to be more data-driven so that you can pace your organizational growth without disrupting the day-to-day work that goes on inside your organization. 

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The very first thing to do is create awareness inside the organization. This can be done through several steps we will outline in this article. 

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Shift from Gut to Data

When your team members are used to making decisions based on their gut instincts or what they have always done in the past it is hard for them to think about providing data to position their decisions. If leaders are steadfast in asking for this information, then it will help shift the organization to thinking more from a data perspective. 

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Ask for Data

Along with the point above, if you regularly start to ask for data to review (like reports and KPIs), the team will also start to look at this data and come to upgraded conclusions based on the data they are seeing. In the first iterations, you may not have the data that you need but over time this will evolve and improve as people become more aware of the need. 

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Refine Systems

As a ripple effect of asking for data and creating KPIs, the teams will start to strategize on the different ways they can get the data and where the data resides. Additionally, you will want to pull this data together with ways to manually verify that the data is correct until you are satisfied with the level of information that you are getting from your systems. New systems and procedures might be needed to achieve the final results. 

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Create a Data Flow Map

It is good to build an understanding of where your data resides and the different touch points of data in various systems. This will help you review if there are further improvements you can make to the process and if there are data redundancies that are causing additional work for your teams. A map of your existing data will also help you to identify any gaps limiting your progress Mapping out all of the systems and what data is collected and where visually, will help you achieve this picture. 

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Select Data Champions

Going through this process will allow you to identify who on your various teams is interested in being more data-centric. These individuals could become data champions in various groups and teams to lead data improvement projects. 

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I hope this article has given you just a few small steps that you can utilize to start your journey to becoming a more data-driven organization. For a more personal assessment or help, please schedule a no obligation discovery call with our team.

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