Peter's Data Law's
Hard learned experiences from the field
Sometimes we learn things the hard way. Sometimes I think it is possibly the only way to learn from own experience and failures. So take these “laws” with a grain of salt and use your brain to be smarter.
Data Law No. 1: The Tool is Always First!
This means - companies always buy a tool first before they think about the right frame conditions, available skills, necessary processes, …
That is not a good thing as you don’t know which tool is right, you spend to much money for tools you possibly never use and the worst would be, the tool is so bad (not itself but for the meant usage or the user group) that people do less of what the original idea was when buying this tool.
Even if you first build culture, processes and skills, to buy the tool is often deconnected. And even if it is connected to, after it is there you care more about the technology than the rest.
Best approach would be - buy a tool - do the rest and learn - throw away the tool and buy the right tool.
Data Law No. 2: Don't Let Someone Else Be the Expert
I sometimes experience colleagues in sales and marketing trying to create content or go into the direct (consulting) talk with customers about data topics. I have even seen HR people trying to explain my business to me. Also on the customer side typically IT managers (non data), try to define data strategy or data architecture.
Be nice and listen to them. But make sure, they don’t have the last word on a decision. Be the expert. It’s your job!
Data Law No. 3: Do Not Chase the Latest Trends and Features
It is a permanent flow of information about your data stack, where new things are announced. The lawn is always greener on the other side.
But stay updated and always understand when the time has come for the update, the new tool or a complete new data stack. See Law 2→be the expert.
Be aware, no external knows your data stack and how it is used better than you.
Data Law No. 4: Master the Basics
There are always new technologies, functions and features. None of these will change the way you are working. It is always the same - gathering data, store data, process data, serve data. Look at your data stack vendor. He deliver features since years. Why do you still have to do the work?
It's about how good you mastered the basics of data management. Everything else is optimization.
Data Law No. 5: Data is the Bloodstream of your Company
Data represents the knowledge of your company as no other aspect. It is like a shadow of everything you do in your company. It is not perfect, it can lie. But there is nothing else you can use, analyze and derive insights, the same way.
Data Law No. 6: “Data” Terms are Not What You Think - and this is Good!
Data Product, Data Strategy, Data Intelligence, Data … it is really hard to get the same understanding about what a data term means. Even if you have a general understanding on a high level about a term, going into the details showing typically a different understanding about. So maybe two approaches to handle this:
If you go into a project, bring a list of terms and their meaning with you. Enhance and refine during the project
Start the project by defining most important concepts to create a frame and common understanding for important terms and what they mean
I started with “and this is good!”. It is good because terms in data should be individual as every company is. To understand this means to understand what your competitive advantage is.
Data Law No. 7: The Data Architecture Slide with a Single Platform is the Biggest Lie
Often, when I ask for an overview of the current data architecture, I get a slide with a single platform in the middle. This is nearly always wrong. Typically there is
a legacy data platform
a platform from a merger or an independent subsidiary or domain
a self-service platform in the business department
a new platform you are going to at the moment
a operational platform handling analytical data
If you do not have the whole picture about where and how your data is handled, controlling it is an illusion. First get an understanding about how data is handled and analyzed in your company.
tbc