Autora: Lorena Sánchez Osorio

Throughout my career, I have had the privilege of working with large companies in Colombia. I have worked in various areas and held different roles until I founded Wadua Analytics, where I work and focus all my energy. I have always been on the data side, as a developer, architect, operations director for consulting areas, consultant, and now as an entrepreneur. This experience has allowed me to understand and, above all, experience the stages of data pain, and I would like to share that learning.​

If an entrepreneur were to ask me today, "What is the path to basing operations on data?" I would tell them to embark on the journey of data discipline, and today I will explain the subject.

There are three processes that can be intervened upon as soon as a company begins:

Firstly, you must consider that we need to collect data and understand what data is being collected. It is important to ask yourself: "Which data would be relevant for my decisions?" Taking into account that generating data requires storage resources and the time of the person generating them, if, after weighing the cost-benefit balance between your variable needs and the associated costs, you proceed with those needs, consider yourself fortunate. Your discipline in data recording and the relevance of variables in your business will save you many headaches and costs.

Secondly, data consumption comes into play. At this point, you will identify which variables you need to make decisions and then organize your information to visualize those variables. Your entrepreneurial instinct will guide you initially in determining which variables make you feel more confident in your daily decisions. You can review the industry, but the final decision will always be yours.

Thirdly, you need to answer the question: "How do you prefer to see your variables?" Do you feel comfortable with the control provided by tables? Will you focus on summary graphs? Do you need a dashboard, a summarized email, or an application? Be cautious and avoid demanding too much as you are just beginning to make data-driven decisions. Start slowly.

If you noticed, in the previous three points, I did not mention technology, and there is a reason behind that. Technology is a tool that is implemented according to your needs. It can be used to automate processes, increase data handling capacity, or improve variable precision by minimizing the human factor. However, if you are willing to operate without these benefits, Excel will also work for you initially.

What is non-negotiable is your discipline in decision-making. If your decisions are backed by data, you are advancing in your data culture maturity. On the other hand, if you have data but still rely on gut feelings that cannot be replicated when making decisions, you are resisting data and missing out on valuable opportunities..

At Wadua, we are evaluating a strategy that connects us with entrepreneurs. We want to validate our idea. If you are an entrepreneur and interested in learning about proper data management, please email us at info@wadua.com.co indicating your interest and how we could assist you. ​ ​ ​

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