Too much data can lead to the wrong decision

The public sector deals in information, yet the value of that information is sometimes lost amongst all the other things going on.   Often we are asking elected members or senior management to make an informed judgement on policy based on too much data.   Yes you read it right, “too much data” masking the key points we are trying to convey.

The Place Survey contained vast amounts of data, but how much was then distilled into intelligence which could be used to drive local improvements?  I have been part of presentations where legions of graphs were presented on resident satisfaction and the importance of different services only to find that the data is used to justify existing policy.

Maybe a different approach is needed in which we use pictures to give direction of travel and focus on the issues being discussed.   Less data, presented more effectively can be more powerful.

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