Data-Informed Decision-Making - The Thinking Lens

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Data-Informed Decision-Making

A collection of 13 posts

From Data-Informed to Knowledge-Driven

Data-Informed Decision-Making

From Data-Informed to Knowledge-Driven

Data-driven is not enough. Data-informed restores judgment but keeps you in the present. Knowledge-driven turns decisions into reusable assets. A simple template and review loop help teams learn faster, cut rework, and scale better choices.

The ChatGPT Report and The Enterprise Blind Spot

Data-Informed Decision-Making

The ChatGPT Report and The Enterprise Blind Spot

OpenAI’s ChatGPT usage report is consumer-only, so enterprise signal is skewed. Still clear: AI is a copilot. Writing dominates, most of it editing. Younger users drive volume; older pros drive work. B2B: prioritize decision support, co-creation, embedded copilots, governance.

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 11: Turn AI into a Judgment Multiplier

Data-Informed Decision-Making

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 11: Turn AI into a Judgment Multiplier

AI is not your strategist; it multiplies your judgment. Automate discovery, keep humans in the decision loop, and treat judgment as the API. Clean hypotheses and consequence paths in, clarity out. Use AI to amplify decisions, not outsource them. Automate discovery, own decisions. Judgment is moat.

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 10: Build Thinking Systems, Not Reporting Systems

Data-Informed Decision-Making

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 10: Build Thinking Systems, Not Reporting Systems

Most teams have great dashboards that report the past, not systems that drive decisions. A thinking system starts with a clear question, ties metrics to actions, supports diagnosis, and treats AI as a partner for speed, not a substitute for judgment. Goal: better decisions, not prettier charts.

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 9: Reconcile Metric Definitions Before Analysis

Data-Informed Decision-Making

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 9: Reconcile Metric Definitions Before Analysis

Teams don’t argue about numbers; they argue about definitions. Inconsistent metrics like MAU erode trust, stall decisions, and mislead AI at scale. Fix it upstream: build a Metric Dictionary with clear names, sources, formulas, and owners. One name, one definition.

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 8: Manage Multi-Product Portfolios Separately

Data-Informed Decision-Making

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 8: Manage Multi-Product Portfolios Separately

Blended portfolio metrics become Franken-metrics: pretty roll-ups that mask product realities. Treat each product as its own system with distinct health and leading signals. Synthesize across products instead of averaging. AI clarifies only when signals stay separate. Or it polishes the camouflage.

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 7: Build Layered Dashboards to Scale Thinking

Data-Informed Decision-Making

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 7: Build Layered Dashboards to Scale Thinking

One-size dashboards are a myth. Build three layers: Outcome for execs (telescope), Driver for teams (levers), Deep Dive for analysts (microscope). AI enriches layers, it doesn’t flatten them. The aim isn’t more charts; it’s scaling clear decisions at the right altitude. Make layers reduce noise. Go!

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 6: Know Your Tool Stack’s Boundaries

Data-Informed Decision-Making

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 6: Know Your Tool Stack’s Boundaries

Your stack holds partial truths. Stop chasing one dashboard. Declare sources of authority, document blind spots, and build smart bridges. AI helps only when boundaries are clear. Orchestrate specialists into a federated system so teams decide faster and argue less. Set escalation for conflicts now.

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 5: Focus on Adoption, Not Just Delivery

Product Management Craft

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 5: Focus on Adoption, Not Just Delivery

Shipping is overhead; adoption is the asset. In B2B, features stick and removal is costly, so prevent bloat. In B2C, unused features fuel silent churn. AI can surface adoption signals, not define value. Lead by asking: what delivers outcomes, not what shipped. Treat non-adoption as debt. Measure it.

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 3: Choose What to Measure

Data-Informed Decision-Making

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 3: Choose What to Measure

Think like a doctor, not a data collector. Your dashboards should be a cockpit, not a buffet. Every metric has a cost in attention, fueling debate and cognitive load. Track only what informs decisions. If a number doesn't drive action, it's just noise.

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 2: Adopt a Data-Informed Approach

Data-Informed Decision-Making

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 2: Adopt a Data-Informed Approach

Stop being data driven. It breeds passivity and dashboard worship. Be data informed: start with a question, state a hypothesis, define the stakes, then use data to pressure test. AI is a sous chef, not your strategist. Data informs. Judgment makes the call. Decide the meal before you open the fridge

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 1: Avoid the Data Delusion

Data-Informed Decision-Making

Beyond the Dashboard | Principle 1: Avoid the Data Delusion

In the Data Delusion, we focus on metrics while losing sight of what truly matters. We celebrate tiny, irrelevant wins, creating an illusion of progress. Data without human judgment is just noise – it's time to use it to sharpen our questions, not just track our speed.

Beyond the Dashboard | Intro: Why Your Beautiful Dashboards Might Be Making You Dumber

Data-Informed Decision-Making

Beyond the Dashboard | Intro: Why Your Beautiful Dashboards Might Be Making You Dumber

We’re obsessed with data, but our dashboards often make us dumber. We track everything yet decide nothing. More data, less judgment. This isn't a tooling issue, it's a thinking one. This 11-principle series shares ideas on how to build judgment in an AI era that demands it.