Just the facts

“Just the facts ma’am”

We think about “cold hard facts” when it comes to numbers and data.

That’s what the executive claims to want.

That’s what we often assume we deliver.

“Just the facts ma’am”

Sounds simple, right?

But then someone asks how many active customers we have.

Or what our donor churn rate is.

Or what percent of our donors are new this year.

Or how effective our content distribution programs is.

And the “cold hard facts” turn into - “it depends”.

Or more likely, three or four (or more) different answers based on which department you ask.

This is the soft side of data.

To answer any of those above questions (or any number of permutations), things will get much softer. With more nuance. With an understanding of the history of the question. And a prediction for how the answer will be used.

“Facts” are rarely a land we get to play in.

We tell stories.

We shape data in and around humans.

And those results are rarely in cold, hard, or simple facts.

I’m here,

Sawyer

from ​The Data Shop