it’s not all about the data - it’s about how you use it

Mining your data to achieve breakthrough performance

Data is a big challenge in the water industry. From assets to human resources, vast quantities of it are collected every day. How best to use this data is not a new conundrum, but it’s one we often see clients grappling with.

There are many interconnected factors at play, including the quality of the data, the sheer quantity of it, and your teams’ capacity to analyse and act on it. The costs of data management go beyond the obvious tangible costs of collecting, storing and processing. If we fail to harness the power of our data, we fail to reap the benefits of empowered staff, satisfied customers, enhanced efficiencies and increased sustainability.

See the big picture to get the best detail

It is often said that the detail is in the data. It should also be said that to understand the detail, you must step back and see a cohesive bigger picture. This requires an operating model which clearly defines the flow of data throughout the organisation. In outlining the different drivers and demands within and across functions, it will also clearly flag what data is needed to drive better decisions and outcomes.

Knowing what you need and why you need it is the first step to working smarter with data. The data can then be used to help improve process, governing systems, or the asset base – creating capacity, reducing repetitive or menial tasks, and making jobs more rewarding. 

Cut through the noise and clean up

Accessing the right data, at the right time, in the right format is at the heart of better decision-making. This is easier said than done, especially when dealing with multiple sources of cross-functional data from different teams, systems, or legacy programmes. ‘Noisy’ data can obscure useful insights, or lead to the misidentification of root causes and key issues. That key nugget of information could be right in front of the people who need it, but hidden in an unusable or unhelpful format.

Cleaning data sets up front takes time and money, but it will save you far more time and money later on. At the very least, make sure all data you collect from now on is clean and usable.  

Showcase your data – and its changemaking power

Your data may be well organised, clean and accessible. But is everyone aware of it? Do they know how certain teams are using data to make better decisions, increase efficiencies and raise standards? If not, tell them. Showcasing how smarter use of data has improved performance is a surefire way of creating pull for better data analytics and integration.

This in turn creates the momentum for change. Success stories spread, standards are raised, and people are proud of what they’ve achieved. In the end, everyone benefits.

Equip your people, manage your stakeholders

It’s important that people who manage internal and external customer demand are properly resourced, so they can act on data insights plus experience. Obviously, this will reduce the risks inherent in decisions based on experience plus assumptions. We often find that data usage is limited not only because of accessibility issues, but also interpretation skills. Data has little value without insight. Understanding the logic behind the information, and validating the findings, requires analytical ability, strategic thinking and data visualisation.

It doesn’t stop there. Let’s assume you have the data you need to make an informed decision. You’ve drawn out the insights and you’re ready for action. Now you need to manage your stakeholders. Can you validate the data? Do you have stories to go with your statistics? Do you understand the impacts of any new decisions you’re going to make?

In other words, data sits within a system, and it requires multiple skills to turn data into insight and then into action. So if you’re looking to improve the way you collect and analyse your data, you need more than a data strategy. This isn’t just about technology coupled with clever analysts. This is about stakeholder management. It’s about holding the big picture in mind and knowing the decisions you want to make. It’s about managing transitions and change. This is Industry 5.0.

Integrate machine and human intelligence

In Industry 4.0 we saw the rise of technology and automation, in which automation was king. Industry 5.0 focuses on the coupling of increasingly powerful technology with better trained experts to create more successful and sustainable outcomes. It’s the sweet spot of collaboration between machine and human intelligence. Seen through this lens, smart data suddenly becomes so much more than the quality, availability and visibility of your data. How you utilise the data really is pivotal to progress.

A better understanding of your data, and the end-to-end processes it integrates with, allows for more confidence in the decisions others make. It also fosters increased scrutiny and reduced reliance on assumptions or specific on-site knowledge, reducing risk. Couple this with the capacity to fully interrogate and test out any findings, and you have the foundations for a continuous improvement culture.

New ways of working are key to cementing these foundations and reaping the benefits of powerful data insight. Trialling these must be done in a spirit of encouraging ownership and empowerment, giving people freedom within a framework so they can experiment without fear of failure.

All systems go: from smart data to breakthrough transformation

Smarter use of data to achieve breakthrough transformation shouldn’t be a long-term goal, reliant on the newest tech. The data is already at your fingertips. And we know through our client work that taking a systems view of any problem is vital to solving it. Your data strategy, your operating model, capability, capacity and ways of working are all essential elements in working smarter with data. When you incorporate all this into your approach, you improve efficiency, wellbeing, environmental impacts and the bottom line.

To find out more please get in touch / +44 (0) 20 7298 7878

This article first appeared in the 2022 Spring edition of Institute of Water