Start with process efficiency metrics to uncover bottlenecks and optimize workflows. Then, dive into risk indicators that flag potential fraud, compliance gaps, or operational weaknesses before they escalate. Don’t overlook customer and employee feedback data, the real pulse of your business that reveals pain points and opportunities for innovation. Financial data, like cost trends and ROI metrics, ensures that every initiative delivers measurable value. And finally, leverage predictive analytics to shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive strategy. The key isn’t drowning in numbers, it’s pinpointing the insights that drive efficiency, resilience, and growth.

Beyond the obvious metrics, delving into customer feedback can uncover hidden operational bottlenecks ??. Analyzing employee productivity patterns across different shifts or seasons might reveal unexpected efficiency opportunities ??. Real-time supply chain data integration could enable proactive problem-solving and prevent costly disruptions ??. Lastly, cross-referencing operational costs with quality control metrics might highlight areas where increased investment could yield significant long-term savings ??.

Operations efficiency is one of the most impactful data insights you can surface. By prioritizing the measurement and visibility of operations efficiency, through value stream mapping, you not only know the health your end-to-end value stream process, you can also identify opportunities for improvement and track progress.

Want to boost operations with data? Start with the bottleneck. Track WIP buildup before each process — that’s where flow is getting blocked. Cycle time, throughput, and downtime at each step tell you where your real constraint is. Fix the bottleneck, and another will show up. That’s progress. Continuous improvement lives here. And always link your insights to customer demand — it’s not just about moving faster, it’s about moving in the right direction!

If you want to make a difference in operations, you need to start with the root problem. I have found businesses to be quick to jump to solutions without analyzing any of the data, changing too much at once, and having no metrics in place to show improvements. What data are you collecting, what is the story it is telling you? Is your data relevant, reliable, and recent? Are you missing data that you need to create a process to collect? Prioritizing the discovery of the root problem and where bottlenecks are while reinforcing it with what the data is telling you will allow you to create strategic next steps and implement (often easy) solutions.