The Friday Recap: Hey did you hear about...

 


As part of my routine I meditate on the week.  I make an effort to step back from the hurried pace of life to see the bigger picture.  This week we have gotten into the details of data governance strategies and what you will need to make that a success.  

Did you know that every day when we leave work we execute on data as well?  We use nutrition facts to judge if a food is good for us, listened to that friend who swears the moon is made out of cheese, or used information boards at the air port to make sure we stay on time.  Have you ever stopped to wonder if the information you are looking at is right?  In most cases we take what we see at face value and make decisions without even checking what we are looking at.  How has that worked out for you?  What were the consequences if you acted on misinformation?  

The sad fact is that misinformation is around us in every direction.  It is up to us as an individual to weed it out.  So what data quality governance principals can you use to help shut out the noise?

One major principal that I employ can be related to the data governance framework.  In business this framework build out support processes and functions that can be plugged into data to help verify that it is good.  In every day life we can do similar things.  

  • More than one source:  One principal could be that we use multiple sources before we take action.  Lets look at the information board at the air port and your carriers website.  When your friend tells you something maybe it is a good idea to ask someone else who is involved.  If both sources match you have good information.
  • Pick the right tools:  The way we gather information in our day to day lives maters.  Are we using a website that shares source material on how they calculate that nutritional information or break down the receipts on that latest sale?
  • Be realistic about what you hear.  The simple fact is that if you hear something that is just to far outside of the norm, it is probably not true.  
In this world that is full of information it is our responsibility to check what we hear.  It does not mater if it is gossip from a friend or articles from websites if we do not check the data we will eventually make a decision that has some significant consequences.  
It is also our responsibility to stop spreading information that we know is wrong.  If your friend is gossiping and you know what they are saying is wrong tell them.  If you know a news article is not telling the truth do not share it.  The world is already so full of noise we do not need to add to it.  

We are constantly being overtaken with information.  At times others will try to manipulate you with that information.  Those people are not looking for your best interest, they want to use you and move on.  Use the principles that we learned to make sure the data you take in is clean, accurate, and true.  That is how you will make the best decisions to lead your life to success.

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