Everything’s OK Alarm - Analytics lessons to be learned from Homer Simpson
I recently started reading a book where I was reminded of Homer Simpson's iconic "Everything's OK" alarm in an episode🔔, which got me thinking about its similarities with data and analytics 📊.
The "Everything's OK" alarm is invented by Homer to signal that everything is OK and that there is no need for panic 😱; the alarm can't be turned off.
Like this alarm, not all data, KPIs, and notifications help drive business success; some can reassure that everything is OK but don't provide much value in understanding the company's performance or making informed decisions 🧠.
In today's fast-paced and data-driven world, tracking a wide range of KPIs and setting alarms to alert us of any changes or trends is tempting. However, this approach can lead to a cluttered dashboard full of data that provides little insight into the company's performance. It's crucial to determine which KPIs and alarms are necessary and relevant to the business goals and objectives 🎯and prioritise them based on their impact on the business's success.
For example, a company might track the number of visitors to their website, but this KPI alone only provides a little value in understanding why those visitors are coming to the site and what they're doing once they're there. Instead, the company should track metrics such as the conversion rate of visitors to customers or the average time spent on the site. These KPIs are more meaningful and directly impact the success of the business.
It's also essential to keep the number of KPIs and alarms to a minimum. Overloading on too many KPIs or alarms can lead to information overload and make it challenging to identify what matters the most. Companies should focus on tracking a limited number of KPIs and alarms that provide the most value and regularly review and update their dashboard to ensure it remains relevant and valuable.
In summary:
Organisations should focus on tracking meaningful KPIs and notifications that drive business success.
Overloading on too many KPIs or warnings can lead to information overload.
KPIs should be prioritised based on their impact on business success.
Focusing on the metrics that truly matter can provide valuable insights for informed decisions.
Prioritising KPIs and notifications that drive business success leads to data-driven growth and improved performance.
In conclusion, the next time you're tempted to track every little change in your data, remember Homer's "Everything's OK" alarm 🔊 and prioritise the KPIs and alarms that genuinely matter.
If you want to know more about the subject, I highly recommend the book KPI Checklists by the great Bernie Smith.