Ideas about data, without the jargon
Reporting, data quality and decision-making, written for people who run a business — not for people who write code.
Articles
Operations
Why your SLA incident dashboard can't live in a shared spreadsheet
The signs your Excel-based SLA incident tracking has stopped holding up, and what should replace it.
Strategy
3 spreadsheets every CFO should stop maintaining by hand
Three types of spreadsheets the finance department keeps maintaining by hand, and why it pays to stop.
Sales
Automated sales reporting: what to check before building one
The questions worth answering before building an automated sales reporting system.
Purchasing
Supplier dashboard: what to check before renegotiating a contract
The five numbers you should have ready before sitting down to renegotiate with a supplier.
Operations
Operations KPIs you should see every Monday without asking
The operations numbers you should have in front of you every Monday without having to ask.
Tool
Migrating from Excel to Power BI: where to start
Why copying the spreadsheet's formulas is the surest way to make the migration drag on.
Tool
Power BI for SMEs: what it is and when it makes sense
What Power BI actually is, without the jargon, and what needs to exist before it's worth considering.
Diagnosis
Outsourcing a data analyst vs. hiring in-house: how to decide
The question that actually decides between hiring in-house and outsourcing a data analyst.
Reporting
How much does it cost to automate a report?
Why there's no fixed rate, and what actually determines the price.
Sales
Why your Excel sales dashboard stops working at scale
The signs your Excel sales dashboard has reached its limit.
Purchasing
Purchasing KPIs you shouldn't have to email for
Five purchasing numbers you should have in front of you without asking.
Operations
5 signs your operations reporting is costing you money
Five signs of an expensive manual process in operations.
Assessment
What actually happens in the first meeting
It's neither as long nor as technical as you imagine. Here's what I look at, and why.
Strategy
The hidden cost of deciding without reliable data
The invoice never shows up in a spreadsheet, but your company pays it every month.
Reporting
5 signs your reporting is costing you money
If any of them sound familiar, you're probably paying already without noticing.