Please don’t let the data speak!

The world of data and analytics is full of misunderstanding and misinformation. Unfortunately, a lot of this is perpetuated not just by data laypersons but by professionals of all kinds—from data scientists to vendors, to executives and advisors. It is a little frightening when we think about the fact that they are supposed to be the experts guiding those who are not. Since I sit at both ends of this professional spectrum (I am both a data scientist and an advisor), I feel compelled to address perhaps one of the most persistent myths about data: “let the data speak.” Data…...