Being data-driven requires you to:

  • Ask questions first and let the data answer the question (source)
  • Let the data drive actual decisions

Metrics that don’t inform decisions are meaningless (= vanity metrics).

Goodhart’s Law and Lying with Statistics are two things to consider when trying to be Data-Driven.

Goodhart’s Law:

When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.

Lying with statistics: It’s always possible to look at a set of data so that it proves the argument you want it to prove. How to Lie with Statistics by Darrell Huff