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How to Avoid the Spreadsheet Scramble
Listen along while you read:
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You see this in organisations and maybe you see this in your own organisation, but it's what I call the spreadsheet scramble. We've all seen this. It's where an executive has a request for data, and then we kind of all drop what we're doing. People go start pulling data from different systems. We meet, we join data together. We try to figure out why it's not joining, go and re-pool data.
And all of this takes time and rework, and this is really not the best use of time for anybody. And it puts a tremendous amount of work on the shoulders of people, and it's really just not the best use of their time.
When it comes to managing a data strategy, there needs to be a clear vision that bridges the gap between business and technology. This is especially important for companies who are doing this for the first time. If executed in a way that includes people in the process then there's an ongoing improvement in their day.
Here are three things needed to avoid the spreadsheet scramble:
One single source of truth
Resilience to change is needed in times of growth. So, when an organisation has a single source of truth (SSoT), then it’s in a better position to scale successfully. In addition, this move from a reactive to a proactive environment fosters workplace satisfaction.
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Freedom from data wrangling
In a typical data wrangling scenario, people respond to a request for information with meetings and a flurry of activity. When people have access to self-serve, on-demand data then they can spend time on high-value work instead of piecing together data points.
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Better Data quality
People who have reliable, up-to-date information at their fingertips have a quality snapshot of their business. Imagine your day with easy-to-access reporting that not only empowers decision making, but helps you identify previously hidden opportunities.
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