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    • Action plan

    Using data to inform decision making at your business

    Medium effort

    High impact

    Data can shine a light on your most valuable products or services, what your customers care about and any emerging markets you could be entering. Using data to inform decision making at your business is a no-brainer – the biggest challenge is getting into the habit of doing so.

    • We’ve designed our action plans to be completed in the order of steps laid out and explained why each step is important
    • Customising your action plan lets you set your own completion dates, assign tasks to others and get notifications
    • Helpful tools are provided for certain steps while a tracking metric at the end will help you determine the long-term success of your effort
    • A downloadable PDF version of each action plan is available if you’d like to compete it offline
    What's involved? Ways to use this action plan Measuring impact
    1

    Review your data tools, software and reporting systems to make sure they speak in a language that is accessible to all employees

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    For data to be embraced across the entire business, it needs to be easily understood by your staff. Many tools have editable reporting dashboards, so spend time with each team identifying the language and format that works best for them.

    Develop a process for identifying the right tech for your business

    Investing in new technology is a big decision. To get it right, leaders must develop a process to ensure that any outlay benefits the business.
    2

    Create a strategy for how you will best manage and use data in your business, taking advice from product, business or data analysts in the workforce or external experts

    Impact: medium

    Why will this help?

    Businesses that manage and use data effectively have a clear strategy in place, rather than it being an ad-hoc process.

    Creating a data strategy for your business

    A data strategy outlines how data will be organised and used effectively in your business. Our checklist walks you through each step of the process.

    Storing data safely with GDPR

    The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) provides clear guidelines on how businesses should collect and store data.
    3

    Ask managers to talk to staff in one-to-ones about how confident they are accessing data in the business and where further training would be beneficial

    Impact: high

    Why will this help?

    Data can be intimidating if you haven’t accessed or analysed it before. Be prepared to offer relevant training or compile step-by-step instructions if it will make staff more comfortable.

    Conducting one-to-ones with employees

    Using a template for employee one-to-ones, like this one from Bristol University, will help to make sure each meeting is as effective as possible.

    Help your staff with upskilling or they’ll look elsewhere

    By helping staff achieve their working ambitions, companies that prioritise the upskilling of current and new employees find that staff stay longer and can help boost overall productivity.
    4

    Schedule regular meetings to review key data trends

    Impact: high

    Why will this help?

    The business landscape is constantly evolving and your business needs to be agile enough to move with it. Reviewing data trends – whether monthly or quarterly – can help you understand where you need to make tweaks to your activity.

    An introduction to using the data you have to improve decision making

    Data plays an important part in effective decision making, whether it’s around company growth, hiring practices, sales or marketing campaigns.

    Data provides a foundation for better decision making

    When collected well, data can provide valuable insights into your business. These insights can then inform strategic decisions to improve it and help you grow.
    5

    Lead by example and use data to inform decision making at your business

    Impact: high

    Why will this help?

    You can create a culture of data-led decision making by leading by example. Explain to employees how data backs up your own decision making and encourage them to turn to data when planning new projects or developing existing ones.

    Use data to improve decision making at all levels of your business

    Providing employees with data empowers them to make informed decisions – but you won’t create a data-driven culture overnight.

    How to get employees involved in decision making

    Involving employees in decision making can give leaders valuable insights and lead to new ideas. Our checklist will help you get started.

    What can I do with this Action Plan?

    Start this Action Plan

    Add some extra information to this plan and we’ll help you get it done.

    • We’ve designed our action plans to be completed in the order of steps laid out and explained why each step is important
    • Customising your action plan lets you set your own completion dates, assign tasks to others and get notifications
    • Helpful tools are provided for certain steps while a tracking metric at the end will help you determine the long-term success of your effort
    • A downloadable PDF version of each action plan is available if you’d like to compete it offline

    Download and print

    Get a printable template for this Action Plan, fill it in with some target dates, and share it with your team. Pin it on the wall where everyone can see it.

    Get the printable Action Plan

    Learning Groups

    We also run Learning Groups on these topics where you can join other leaders tackling the same challenges.

    Find a Learning Group

    How will I know if my action plan is working?

    Number of key decisions backed by data

    Data helps leaders to make informed decisions

    Why this metric?

    Checking how many key business decisions have been made with data in mind will tell you whether you’re factoring in data enough.

    How do I start tracking?

    Reflect on your top-level decision making every three months and be honest about the role data played in the process.