A few assumptions
Assumptions will destroy the value your data team delivers.
I’ve been on enough data teams to know we are great at being isolated and insulated. Enjoying talking and thinking about data stuff.
Which is great. Except data teams don’t exist for themselves.
When data people only talk with data people we assume we know what good data look likes.
We assume that
This column name makes sense
This visual communicates what’s important
This data source is the best source for that dataset
Refreshing the data often is what the business needs
Delivering more reports is a metric for success
Speed is better than accuracy (or accuracy better than speed)
The business team doesn’t know what they want
We know what the business team needs
Unless you collect diverse opinions. Introduce diverse eyes into your team.
These assumptions (and more) will slowly erode the value of your data team.
Talk to the business teams. Talk to outside experts. Talk to peers across industries.
You often won’t realize you are assuming things until it’s too late.
It was good to see you today,
Sawyer
