Am I the only one doing it wrong?
bonny mcclain??
quantitative storyteller and coach, fractional geospatial data scientist, strategist creating narrative around physical-cultural-ecological facilities required for sustainable operation of infrastructure.
Everyone seems to be embracing the culture of data. Text heavy communications are now yielding to embedded graphics and visualizations. We admire the beauty (it is hard to ignore) and wait for the day when the answer to a big data question will finally demand the Sankey diagram. The crown jewel of the data arsenal.
Except--that day never arrives--although, I remain hopeful. Let me clarify. I have yet to have a data question articulated in such a clear and concise manner that a Sankey would be the best way to view the data. At least in a business environment...
Am I the only one wrestling messy data into nice tidy packages using R, Tableau Prep, and even Python? I am positive I am not alone so perhaps the hard bits just aren't as screen worthy. Everyone wants to create or view the visualization right out of the gate.
Nobody likes to hear, "Well, what exactly is the question you are trying to answer?" I say this because it always seems this is where fun goes to die. A lot of collaborations involve buckets of data but no idea what to actually do with the embarrassment of riches.
Data professionals (at least the ones I know) aren't spending the majority of their time listening to jazz, sipping flavored ice tea, and smiling at the beauty of their Tableau renderings. At least in my case, there is a smattering of scatologic language, more than occasional R code snippets and numerous dalliances with Tableau Prep to even begin to analyze our survey data.
I also am a big fan of Byron Katie. I think our insights would be much improved if we had the ability to recognize when a thought has become a belief.
Do you have the ability of holding a tension? Before you share a graphic or an insight are you able to query additional data that may contradict a firmly held belief?
In defense of my article title, I don't believe I am actually addressing the problem wrong. I am mainly surprised that there isn't more demand for additional data.
Cognitive restructuring requires you to not only look at the good rendered from insights but to gaze on alternate truths. For example, Anand Giridharadas phrases the conundrum eloquently, "... the winners of our age must be challenged to do more good. But never, ever tell them to do less harm."
What does this have to do with data? What if you work in healthcare including the edges of health economics, policy, and clinical medicine but only slice out certain parts of the conversation for discussion?
We talk about innovation, record amounts of drug approvals, and robust pipelines but where are the conversations about marginal efficacy, REMS, or industry funded FDA approvals to name a few. What about toxic side effects, diminished quality of life, and no discernible extension of life? Do we understand that tumor shrinkage doesn't necessarily correlate to better clinical outcomes?
Why aren't we noticing the surrogate endpoints selected to expedite research outcomes are not the same as overall survival. We should compare clinical trial experience between different agents. Why aren't we questioning patent exclusivity extensions for life saving drugs? Go read the Orange Book. It is quite revealing.
Are you wrong? Or am I--for wanting the discussion to be a 360 perspective?
quantitative storyteller and coach, fractional geospatial data scientist, strategist creating narrative around physical-cultural-ecological facilities required for sustainable operation of infrastructure.
5 年I don't know what Linkedin algorithm doesn't send this out to thousands of followers but regardless--it is definitely lonely work--only worthwhile when I receive notes from physicians or other healthcare providers.? Doctors out on the front line trying to use data to inform decision makers and to point to where the true "needs" exist. This morning an email actually brought me to tears. A dedicated physician that I have known for decades is disheartened but appreciative of the work I do. In the spirit of redacting--here it goes... "I am so impressed with your approach to data. It is exactly what medicine ("name of health system" in particular) needs. Let me share a little of my experience at the hospital. ...I relate this story to highlight a management approach that fails to appreciate obvious trends. The population in "city" is not changing. The disease patterns are not changing. But our patient loads are dramatically changing. If only there were someone paying attention to the data! I am at the end of my career. I think that whoever has a data driven medical system will take over this parochial, narrow minded management approach seen throughout the country. Your skills are so under appreciated and necessary. Just saying…" This exchange humbled me and reminded me of why I haven't sold out to the easy analysis (client calls and asks for a visualization of an outcome before we even analyze the data) or writing for the averages. Always remember who you are working for--if it isn't for those at the point of care--shame on you.