A bit of reflection on 2017 – lessons learnt on data analytics

Christmas is coming, and I can’t help but reflect on what I learnt in 2017. Here are my lessons learnt and I hope everyone will get something out of them:

Give them room to explore

Don’t tell the data team what you know and what you expect, let them explore first! Often we found clients and decision makers telling the data team what they are expecting to see and the “insights” they are expecting to find. These conversations are all good as long as they do not put a bias on the insight discovery process.

Always be client and front-line facing

Having said that, do not just hold your data team down in a room, let them talk to others, especially front line staff, about what are the major problems clients and front-line staff faced every day.

Dig deep

Don’t just ask for high level analysis and insights. They are useful but in many cases, understanding the reasons behind certain insights/observations is key to explain WHY something is happening and to help deduce HOW the organisation should act to address the problems.

In the sea of data, case studies/client stories help a lot

Don’t be afraid to go personal. Find a few case studies and stories to go with your data insights. Not only it makes your report/findings less dry, but it also builds rapport with people and better understanding of the problems.

Remember, we are not all data people, and storytelling can be very powerful as a communication tool. Better yet, your stories are backed by data-based evidence that is built upon a lot of observations, and are not biased.

Happy New Year and I look forward to the great 2018 ahead! Feel free to give me a shout – love to exchange ideas about data driven decision making, and transport and urban/cities planning.

Ed