Ani Prabhu @AniPrabhu3

Not convinced? Want more color? Read the full manifesto here: joulee.medium.com/the-data-infor…

This is data's ultimate power: giving us a higher-fidelity picture of reality to accelerate our quest to build wonderful things for other humans.

5. Accepting probabilities rather than thinking in absolutes Interpreting data means taking on many assumptions. Data can never grant certainty, but it can increase the likelihood of making the right call. Over time, these increases compound.

4. Active testing of beliefs rather than seeking support for intuition Be like a scientist. We all have hypotheses about what's right, but the danger comes when we start seeking data to confirm our beliefs, rather than seeking whether our beliefs are right.

3. Company-wide familiarity with metrics rather than outsourcing to “data people” Everyone has to know the numbers. Data-informed teams work hard to build a shared foundation of what is happening within a company to help everyone have the context they need for better decisions.

2. Setting verifiable goals rather than vague aspirations "Improve app performance” is not useful and creates confusion. Data-informed teams aim for quantitative goals as a focusing tool for impact. This makes progress transparent and forces accountability.

1. Conviction around a purpose, rather than searching for meaning in numbers Data does not give you a strategy, mission, or values. “Increasing Metric X” is not a reason for being; a true purpose must relate in some way to creating value for other humans. Metrics are proxies.

Using data well is hard. It's easier to talk up the latest tech or wrap ourselves up in its pretty promises, but those things don't make for better decisions. Being truly data-informed comes down to internalizing a set of 5 simple yet exceedingly powerful values: 👇