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VALUE
IMPROVEMENT
LEADERS
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602 words + 2 activities
| 42 minutes (2 read, 10 watch video, 30 create an analysis plan)
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DATA-DRIVEN DECISION MAKING
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PRINCIPLE
Being data-driven is similar to being open-minded.
TOOLS
Many types of analysis with accurate, measurable data. E.g.: histograms, run charts, Paretos, descriptive and inferential statistics.
APPLICATION
2. Sketch out a plan for the baseline analysis and investigation phases of your project.
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For every problem, there is a solution that is simple, elegant, and wrong.
-H.L. Mencken
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Data-Driven = Open-Minded
“Data-driven” and “open-minded” are cousin adjectives. Open-minded people carry with them at all times the possibility that their best information could be supplanted with better information. Data-driven people acknowledge the same and add, “Bring me the data.” Well-intentioned people can look at the same data and reach opposing conclusions, but the data is there.
Before reading on...
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You’re Welcome to Your Own Opinion
Of course you are, but opinions informed by data are always better. If your opinion is not built on a foundation of data, what’s supporting it? Sometimes it’s useful to define a concept by listing its opposites. To wit, here are some opposites of define data-driven decision-making:
- Gut (aka bias, instinct, experience). In a fast-paced workplace, facilitated by constant connectedness, it is easy to make snap decisions that feel very sensible but are based on gut.
- Common sense…which doesn’t exist. Common experiences are real, but the notion of common sense flies in the face of our opening principle: same data can lead to different conclusions. If you find yourself defending a position with, “It’s just common sense,” you might want to check the data.
- Story telling “I remember this one patient…” (Question: What’s the plural of anecdote? Answer: Data.)
- HiPPO: Highest Paid Person’s Opinion (a perfectly rational approach in some cases).
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Data Weakens Groupthink
Living in a bubble is the phrase du jour describing groupthink. Groupthink sets in quietly, insidiously, but you can watch for signs of it:
- A team stops thinking critically about their work. Data and analysis are unnecessary because the “facts” (in reality, assumptions or generalities) are already known.
- Challenges to current processes are discouraged.
- A team believes itself to be infallible. After all, they’re smart people who only generate
- smart ideas. Infallibility sounds like:
“We already tried that; it doesn’t work.” Translation: There was nothing wrong with our attempt. There’s a cosmic force opposing this idea.
“The only way to achieve __, is to __.” Translation: We have considered literally every alternative.
- Of high concern are the feelings and self-image of the group, sometimes referred to as morale. In such an environment, “mind guards” will protect group members from uncomfortable information.
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Value Leaders Are Data-Driven
The data-driven principle is second-nature to value leaders. They demand data and they create the demand for data in others. A value leader asks listens for passive generalities and assumptions and asks, “How do you know?” They remind the team that well-known “facts” aren’t always so. When the data is unavailable, at least
we know what we don’t know
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Value leaders are also aware of team morale and the root cause of groupthink (fragile team cohesion) and so they are optimistic. Data and analysis lead open minds to new insights or confirmation of existing insights, which in turn lead to improved processes for our patients.
This
video (9:47)
discusses the pattern of analytical thinking, discusses how to ask for data from your data steward and highlights the differences between analysis and reporting.
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ACTIVITIES
2. Sketch out a plan for the baseline analysis and investigation phases of your project.
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LINKS
Quickly locate all course videos, slides, and previous emails
here
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