Businesses rely on data to make informed decisions, measure performance, and drive continuous improvement. Whether it’s improving operational efficiency, shaping business strategies, or enhancing customer experiences, understanding and utilising data is key to long-term success.
At Oakland, we believe that data is not just a useful tool but a critical element in every aspect of business, from quality management to operational improvements. Whether you’re in the early stages of digital transformation or already reaping the rewards of data-informed decision-making, leveraging data effectively is essential for staying relevant and successful within your industry.
In this guide, we’ll delve into why data is so important for business, and how you can harness it to unlock its true potential.
Measuring Success with Business Data
One of the most fundamental reasons businesses should care about data is its role in measuring performance. At its core, data allows businesses to track key performance indicators (KPIs) and identify areas for improvement. As the old saying goes, “You can’t improve what you don’t measure.” This is particularly relevant in a world where businesses need to stay agile and adapt quickly to the ever-changing market around them.
Andy Crossley, Director at Oakland, tells us more about the continuous need to measure business data.
“Gathering accurate business data types, you can assess where your company stands, benchmark against competitors, and map out pathways for growth. As we’ve seen with several of our clients, like Yorkshire Water,, modern data tools can now deliver faster, more reliable insights to inform strategic direction.”
Using these tools, you can constantly refine and improve your processes. At Oakland, we help organisations integrate their data to measure improvements and align efforts with broader strategic objectives. To support this, we offer tailored services focused on strategy, analytics and business intelligence, and platform development.
Linking Data to Strategy
Data isn’t valuable in isolation, it’s valuable when linked to a business strategy. Too often, companies gather data for its own sake without clearly aligning it with their goals. By focusing on data that directly informs your strategic direction, you can ensure your efforts contribute meaningfully to the organisation’s mission.
A well-constructed data strategy is essential. It provides a roadmap for how data will be collected, analysed, and used to deliver business value. Whether you’re looking to improve customer experiences, drive operational efficiencies, or uncover new market opportunities, your data strategy should be tied directly to business goals and outcomes.
To get started on developing your data strategy, check out our guide on how to write your data strategy and learn more about crafting a data-product focused strategy.
Data-Driven Decision Making
By now everyone knows, and we’ve said it before data plays a crucial role in decision-making. In the past, many decisions were based on intuition or experience. While this is still a valid approach, data enables companies to make faster, more informed decisions with less room for error.
The value of data in business is amplified when decision-makers can quickly access accurate information. Businesses that harness data effectively can reduce guesswork and take decisive action that drives results. Modern data science tools, like data warehouses and analytics platforms, can help speed up this process by organising vast amounts of information and making it actionable.
If you are looking to leverage the power of advanced analytics and artificial intelligence, Oakland offers AI services to help businesses transform raw data into actionable insights.
When discussing how data becomes business value, it’s important to consider how you’re collecting, managing, and using that data. Companies that excel are often those that understand their processes deeply and can translate insights into actions. Without well-defined processes and data governance, efforts to extract business value from data can falter. To learn more about ensuring proper governance, explore our governance services.
The Importance of Data Quality
Another key factor is data quality. Measuring the business value of data quality is crucial for ensuring that decisions are based on accurate, reliable information. Poor data quality can lead to costly mistakes, inefficiencies, and missed opportunities.
Oakland works with organisations to assess and improve data quality as part of a broader commitment to continuous improvement. A key part of this is ensuring that data is properly governed, standardised, and accessible to those who need it. Companies that invest in improving their data quality often see significant returns, from better decision-making to enhanced operational efficiency.
For guidance on this process, take a look at our guide on mastering successful data projects.
Staying Competitive in a Data-Driven World
In today’s fast-paced business environment, staying ahead of the game means making the most of your data. It’s not just about collecting it—it’s about putting it to work. Data is the foundation of innovation, growth, and the ability to adapt to market changes. The fact is, if you’re not using your data effectively, you’re leaving opportunities on the table.
The truth is, businesses that don’t embrace a data-driven approach risk becoming obsolete. Everyone else is using data to streamline operations, uncover wastage, and risk, deliver personalised experiences, and uncover new growth opportunities. Staying competitive means you need to make your data work for you; unfortunately, hoarding it and hoping for the best isn’t going to cut it, particularly in the new world of Generative AI.
For more insights into how to build a robust data strategy that supports your organisation’s goals, explore our blog on the purpose of a company’s data strategy.
Our Verdict? Data as the Key to Continuous Improvement
Here’s the thing about data: it’s not just numbers on a screen—it’s your best friend for continuous improvement. You can’t fix what you don’t understand. To improve, you need to know where you’re starting from, and that’s where data comes in. Once you’ve got your baseline, you can make changes, track what’s working, and keep improving.
At Oakland, helping businesses do this is what we’re all about. We started out 40 years ago in quality and continuous improvement and we wrote the book on SPC (literally) so there is no-one that knows more about driving business improvement whether it’s building a strategy, setting up data governance, creating powerful platforms, or diving into advanced analytics, we make sure your data efforts align with your big-picture goals. It’s not just about collecting data—it’s about making it work for you.
If you’re ready to start treating data as the strategic asset it is, you’ll be unlocking real business value and setting your organisation up for long-term success. Curious how we can help? Check out our services page and let’s start the conversation!
