Why Data Driven Is No Longer Enough
A decade of investment in being data driven has not produced a decade of better decisions. The next chapter is decision driven.
The verdict
A decade of data, not a decade of decisions
The data-driven era did two important things. It made data a first-class citizen in the enterprise, and it built a generation of analytical capability. What it did not do is reliably change the decisions that move the business. Most executives can name their data platforms. Very few can name the decisions those platforms measurably improved last quarter.
The shift
From reporting on the past to acting in the present
Being decision driven flips the operating model. Strategy names the outcomes. Outcomes name the decisions. Decisions name the data products required to support them. Data products name the governance and AI capabilities that sit underneath. Every layer has a purpose because every layer is in service of a decision that someone is accountable for.
What it changes
Three operating-model shifts to expect
- Funding moves to decisions. Investment cases are anchored to the decisions they improve, not to the platforms they expand.
- Ownership moves to the business. Decision owners are accountable for the data products their decisions depend on.
- Governance moves to the moment of use. The governance posture follows the decision, not the data store.
Assess your organization's readiness using:
Bring this into your business
Use this thinking with your team in a focused working session — naming the decisions that matter, the data products that support them, and the governance posture required to move.
Start an AssessmentDM Cameron for an executive deep dive, a discussion of the possible, or a general chat about where your data and decisions are heading.
DM John to discuss moving to a decision-driven organization — from where you are today to measurable outcomes.