Eerst denken, dan een dashboard
“Can you make a dashboard?”
“I want a customer satisfaction report.”
“We need to do something with data.”
Sound familiar? These questions sound concrete, but they're often a symptom of a larger problem: organizations that want to do something with data, but don't know exactly what or why . The result? Dashboards that aren't used, reports full of empty figures, and systems that contradict each other.
Many data requests arise ad hoc, without a clear understanding of the intended outcome. Data is seen as an end in itself, rather than a means to better decision-making. Something is built (a dashboard, report, or tool), but without a clear goal, it lacks impact.
Some of the biggest pitfalls we see
- Data efforts without direction
Whether it's dashboards, reports, or tools: if you don't know what you want to achieve with them, it remains superficial. What do you want to influence? What decision should this data support? What will you do if the figures are disappointing? Without answers, you're building the form, not the function.
- Overestimation of data literacy
Not everyone who requests data knows exactly what they need or what good data actually is. This leads to incorrect assumptions, flawed definitions, and insights that mislead instead of helping.
- Measure what's available, not what's important
We too often start with the data we already have, instead of the information we need. We then focus on what's measurable, while the real success factors remain overlooked.
How can you tackle it?
A data-driven organization starts with the question: "What do we want to improve, and how can data help us achieve that?" Technology, dashboards, and reports are only step 3 or 4.
This means that you must:
- Knowing what behavior or outcome you want to influence;
- Understanding what to do when data disappoints;
- Understanding what a good KPI is (and what isn't);
- Accepting that some insights are not directly measurable, but are necessary.
What does that look like in practice? The following things help:
- Start with a business question, not a data product. Don't ask for a report right away; first determine what you want to achieve. For example: "We want to reduce customer churn ." Only then should you determine what data and resources you need to achieve this.
- Test your organization's data literacy . Do people understand the difference between output, outcome, and impact? Do they know what a good KPI is?
- Work with use cases . What do teams need to know and when to move forward? And what happens if that data isn't available?
Ready for a truly data-driven approach?
Stop pursuing isolated initiatives without direction and first refine your data strategy. Vasco offers the Vasco Data Scan for this purpose . It provides a concrete analysis of your data maturity and practical next steps.
Want to know more? Email us at info@vasco-consult.com. We'd love to show you how to get a handle on your data.
