Data management is improvisation
I was listening to a podcast recently featuring TV writer Rob Long. During the podcast he said (I'm paraphrasing) that, in order to be successful, one needs to learn to improvise, because nothing in life ever goes as planned. One of my favorite sayings is, "If you want to make God laugh, tell him what you're doing tomorrow."
And so it is with managing data. No matter how much we plan, whether it's a new system implementation, a new process, or just collecting a new set of data, what we plan and expect and what actually happens are rarely the same. And sometimes they are radically different!
And so we have to learn to improvise. We have to be flexible enough to react to what actually happened, adapt to it, and continue moving forward. After all, we're seeking success, not perfection.
![]()
Wes's Wednesday Wisdom Archives
What are YOUR data integrity reports?
What are YOUR data integrity reports? Sitting in an AMS demo with a client recently, […]
You might have to do SOME of the work yourself!
You might have to do SOME of the work yourself! Many, many years ago I […]
Don’t manage to the exception!
Don’t manage to the exception! One of the universal truths about data management is, wherever possible, […]
It’s always about improvement
It’s always about improvement Talking with a client recently, she expressed frustration about one particular project […]
Don’t be a hoarder!
Don’t be a hoarder! The simple truth is that it’s almost “free” to collect data. […]
With data analytics (as with most things), keep it simple!
With data analytics (as with most things), keep it simple! Over the past several years […]
Don’t forget about periodic maintenance
Don’t forget about periodic maintenance Just as most automobiles need periodic maintenance, keeping your data as […]
Users Groups are ALWAYS Valuable
Users Groups are ALWAYS Valuable I am a huge fan of users groups. (Here’s a […]
But will you DO anything with that data?
But will you DO anything with that data? I frequently exhort my clients to always answer […]
It’s not what happens, but how you react…
It’s not what happens, but how you react… “It’s not what happens to you, but […]
