Recently at a conference, while staying at a hotel, and waiting for a shuttle to bring us to the actual conference location, there seemed to be a mix-up about locations and timetables. This anecdote became a running gag for the people traveling back and forth during the conference days. And a metaphor for the troubles we see our organizations in. They all are obsessed with becoming data-driven, yet struggle to fully understand the data, and source, the context of it, and how to apply it to make decisions.

The mission to become data-driven is easily stated, but truly understanding the data, and to maintain knowledge of the information in it, is so much harder still. Reaching any goal is hard when the data needed is not fully understood. The effort in understanding data is underestimated.

 This license allows reusers to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format in unadapted form only, for noncommercial purposes only, and only so long as attribution is given to the creator.

CC BY-NC-ND includes the following elements:

• BY – Credit must be given to the creator
• NC – Only noncommercial uses of the work are permitted
• ND – No derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted