2025-04-02 Data Informed, not Data Driven

I really dislike the phrase “data driven”. I want people “driving” - I want them making the key decisions that move things forwards.

And I want those people to be informed by data - where they can be, and where it makes sense. But the most meaningful decisions involve unknowns, and ultimately someone needs to make a call. And equipping them with data is valuable, but ultimately it’s down to them, and I want to use a term that reflects that.

I want data to inform actions, not to drive them.

(In my more cynical moments I think some folks use “data driven” as a kind of accountability sink - “It’s not my fault, the data said so”)