The New Manager’s Survival Guide: Everything You Need to Know to Succeed in the Corporate World

CHAPTER

6

USING DATA TO SOLVE PROBLEMS AND MAKE DECISIONS

After you read this chapter, you should be able to:

• Understand the business data in your company.
• Define data sources and the associated uses for that data.
• Link data usage with key business processes.
• Apply data to a structured problem-solving process.
• Describe how decisions are made.

All things are subject to interpretation.

—FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE

We live in a world with an overwhelming amount of data. It’s so pervasive that we don’t think that much about it. Consider this: you’re walking down the street as you pass a McDonald’s. Your phone vibrates to offer you 20 percent off of a cheeseburger. You have an extra 10 minutes and you’re hungry—why not? You’re just about to ...