Understanding and managing data is critical to your organization. You do it in your everyday life already, and you may not even realize it. Let’s look at a brief example of how you are using data today.
Your automobile is a big investment and it’s important for you to make sure it is maintained in running condition so that you can get to work, drive your kids to school functions, buy groceries, etc. And there are many parts of an automobile that contribute to its ability to run.
You want to keep your car clean. It needs to have gasoline, oil and coolant. It may have a radio and air conditioning to keep the interior pleasant while you drive. But out of all of the features of an automobile, there are probably only a handful that are truly critical to keep it running. If the cleanliness of the car is bad, it doesn’t affect its ability to start…it’s not that important (that’s why you choose less car washes in the winter). The radio and air conditioning can be dead but it’s not critical to the main function of a car…transportation. But if you run out of gasoline or the engine overheats, then it just stops. You Identify those functions as critical to the success of your ability to complete your errands on-time.
The automobile manufacturers also know that those functions are critical to your automobile and have included systems that allow you to Collect information related to those functions. They developed and included systems that tell you the current status of these critical indicators. But they not only created them, they made them easy for you to see and understand.
For example, the oil level is a very critical indicator of a maintained automobile. So they include a dipstick under the hood where you can manually check the level at any time. But this is inefficient for such an important indicator. So they also include a gauge on the dashboard that constantly shows you the oil pressure in the system. They put it right behind the steering wheel so it’s easy to find. And they design them so that the needle is straight up to indicate normal pressure. They don’t make you read the numbers like the temperature dial on a kitchen stove. Or, they include “idiot lights” that light up only when the oil pressure is low, catching your attention only when it needs attention.
The Collection methods make it easily available and understandable for you to Monitor every time you get in the car.
When the indicators indicate a problem with your engine, you Respond by taking it to your local service garage for maintenance.
It’s the same with your organization. There are certain resources, functions and processes within your organization that are critical to its success. If things are running smoothly, you don’t need to get involved. But you need some type of indicators to warn you when they need attention.
This blog is designed to help you understand the criticality of identifying, collecting, monitoring and responding to those resources and processes that are critical to your organization’s success. Please check back soon for further education and ideas.