Comments on: Seven Steps to Creating a Data Driven Decision Making Culture. http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html Pluralitas non est ponenda sine neccesitate. Wed, 17 Mar 2010 23:48:52 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: The Myth of Data-Driven Decisions | Winning Content by Leen Joneshttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html/comment-page-1#comment-491523 The Myth of Data-Driven Decisions | Winning Content by Leen Jones Tue, 16 Mar 2010 13:46:42 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html#comment-491523 [...] This view of data as our savior returned in around 2006 as the answer to handling HiPPOs, or the highest paid person’s opinion.** I agree that a decision made because an uninformed executive said so is bad. But the opposite extreme—because the data said so—is just as bad. Why? Many people misunderstand this sentiment as the data can make decisions for us. A mindless decision is often a bad decision. [...] [...]
This view of data as our savior returned in around 2006 as the answer to handling HiPPOs, or the highest paid person’s opinion.** I agree that a decision made because an uninformed executive said so is bad. But the opposite extreme—because the data said so—is just as bad. Why? Many people misunderstand this sentiment as the data can make decisions for us. A mindless decision is often a bad decision.
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]]> By: The 6 Speeches Web Professionals Make // grundyhome.comhttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html/comment-page-1#comment-491471 The 6 Speeches Web Professionals Make // grundyhome.com Wed, 10 Mar 2010 02:58:08 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html#comment-491471 [...] What gets measured gets improved. This isn’t 1995 – a hit counter isn’t going to cut it. There’s no excuse not to have at least Google Analytics (or something) tracking and providing information. What to look at? Let’s see – top content, pages with high bounce rates, referring sites, search keywords… the list goes on. Oh, and remember: reporting is not the same as analysis. So let’s figure out what we really need to measure (let’s call them KPIs) and set some goals. [...] [...]
What gets measured gets improved. This isn’t 1995 – a hit counter isn’t going to cut it. There’s no excuse not to have at least Google Analytics (or something) tracking and providing information. What to look at? Let’s see – top content, pages with high bounce rates, referring sites, search keywords… the list goes on. Oh, and remember: reporting is not the same as analysis. So let’s figure out what we really need to measure (let’s call them KPIs) and set some goals.
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]]> By: Kaitrecehttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html/comment-page-1#comment-491422 Kaitrece Sun, 07 Mar 2010 06:34:38 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html#comment-491422 Hi Avinash!I'm late to your presentation about Creating Data Driven Culture, but it is still timely and relevant! I watched the vid on youtube recently, and I wish I'd known it was outlined here on your blog already. It woulda saved me alot of time as I'm sure your Notes are much better than mine! I was trying to capture both what you said, as well as the thoughts I had about what you said. It was like your talk was about the proverbial 'Elephants in the Room' that don't always come to the forefront conversation, and definitely not with the clarity with which you spoke them. Sometimes, the corporate dynamic has a way of over-complicating the simple, while over-simplifying the dynamic. Way too much going on in that vid - in a good way! :-)I found a lot of valuable food for thought, but I especially love that you broached and responded to the question of WHO should own the data in organizations. I like your point that it should be Owned by the people who are responsible for (who's necks are on the line for) the Outcomes. Ideally, I see that as a co-ownership among multiple depts (i.e. Marketing, Sales, Production), not just a single dept.Thanks for the great insights!For anyone else just finding this, enjoy the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTu02Gab0QwKaitrece Hi Avinash!

I'm late to your presentation about Creating Data Driven Culture, but it is still timely and relevant! I watched the vid on youtube recently, and I wish I'd known it was outlined here on your blog already. It woulda saved me alot of time as I'm sure your Notes are much better than mine! I was trying to capture both what you said, as well as the thoughts I had about what you said. It was like your talk was about the proverbial 'Elephants in the Room' that don't always come to the forefront conversation, and definitely not with the clarity with which you spoke them. Sometimes, the corporate dynamic has a way of over-complicating the simple, while over-simplifying the dynamic. Way too much going on in that vid – in a good way! :-)

I found a lot of valuable food for thought, but I especially love that you broached and responded to the question of WHO should own the data in organizations. I like your point that it should be Owned by the people who are responsible for (who's necks are on the line for) the Outcomes. Ideally, I see that as a co-ownership among multiple depts (i.e. Marketing, Sales, Production), not just a single dept.

Thanks for the great insights!

For anyone else just finding this, enjoy the video here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OTu02Gab0Qw

Kaitrece

]]> By: When Internet Tools Fail & What We Can Learn From Chimpanzeeshttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html/comment-page-1#comment-491342 When Internet Tools Fail & What We Can Learn From Chimpanzees Fri, 26 Feb 2010 16:09:59 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html#comment-491342 [...] There’s nothing worse when you are knee deep in your day to day tasks, when the HiPPO (Highest Individual Paid Per Organization(http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html) dumps the latest emergency task on your plate, the one you hate. Never mind that they knew about the deadline weeks ago. [...] [...]
There’s nothing worse when you are knee deep in your day to day tasks, when the HiPPO (Highest Individual Paid Per Organization(http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html) dumps the latest emergency task on your plate, the one you hate. Never mind that they knew about the deadline weeks ago.
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]]> By: Get That HiPPO Out Of My Face | SEO Bullshithttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html/comment-page-1#comment-491120 Get That HiPPO Out Of My Face | SEO Bullshit Fri, 05 Feb 2010 02:01:37 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html#comment-491120 [...] I first came across the term when I started reading Occams Razor by Avinash Kaushik. Essentially a HiPPO is: Highest Paid Person’s Opinion The person who has the biggest pull in the desision making process, and as such most wills are bent to their will. And an idiotic HiPPO can really mess your strategy up. These are the guys who want you to rank for a keyword cause they think it represents the business best – not because it converts well or is even the target market. This is the person who doesnt give a hoot about doing it right, they want results either way. This is the person who decides on a whim to get rid of a core section of the site “because they didnt like it” without informing their SEO. This is the person who consistently shoots down valuable ideas just because they dont want to understand. [...] [...]
I first came across the term when I started reading Occams Razor by Avinash Kaushik. Essentially a HiPPO is:
Highest Paid Person’s Opinion
The person who has the biggest pull in the desision making process, and as such most wills are bent to their will. And an idiotic HiPPO can really mess your strategy up. These are the guys who want you to rank for a keyword cause they think it represents the business best – not because it converts well or is even the target market. This is the person who doesnt give a hoot about doing it right, they want results either way. This is the person who decides on a whim to get rid of a core section of the site “because they didnt like it” without informing their SEO. This is the person who consistently shoots down valuable ideas just because they dont want to understand.
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]]> By: Segmenting Data with a KPI Overlay | Matt Smedleyhttp://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html/comment-page-1#comment-491095 Segmenting Data with a KPI Overlay | Matt Smedley Tue, 02 Feb 2010 21:31:53 +0000 http://www.kaushik.net/avinash/2006/10/seven-steps-to-creating-a-data-driven-decision-making-culture.html#comment-491095 [...] Some may argue to do the statistical correlation first, to which I wouldn’t disagree… but the point here is that you can get some pretty powerful information with just some raw data and excel. HiPPOs (as Avinash likes to call the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion) care about statistics, but they don’t like to see them. They would rather see a chart that tells a story. [...] [...]
Some may argue to do the statistical correlation first, to which I wouldn’t disagree… but the point here is that you can get some pretty powerful information with just some raw data and excel. HiPPOs (as Avinash likes to call the Highest Paid Person’s Opinion) care about statistics, but they don’t like to see them. They would rather see a chart that tells a story.
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