...obsessing over tests and metrics can be counterproductive if it prevents you from thinking about aspects of your vision that can’t be quantified.
-Robert J Moore of RJMetrics at the NYT Small Business Blog.
This article at the Business of Government blog had some great advice from Malcolm Bertoni of the FDA on putting together a roadmap of best practices for utilizing data analytics. Here are his four main points with our summary of each:
- Executive Sponsorship and Specific, Clearly Defined Goals. This is from the top down. You don't collect data for the sake of it and hope to find use later.
- Partnerships. The left hand has to be talking to the right hand.
- Key Performance Indicators. Creature performance measures that are "both efficient and relevant."
- Culture Shift. Use the data to set new goals instead of attributing blame for failing systems.
Head over to the full article to read more!
The key [to using big data responsibly] – and, naturally, the hardest part – is threefold. Companies must keep those boundaries between personal and anonymized data separate. They can’t reveal too much about what data tells you, because that’s just creepy. And they have to, as much as possible, give customers control over how their data is used. -- Howard Baldwin, Forbes.com