Data literacy has popped up as one of the key areas to adress when undertaking a datadriven transformation.
If you have solved the technical tooling and platforms and you have filled them with data but you are still not getting any value out of the investment, it may be a lack of data literacy in the organization that is stopping you.
What is data literacy?
The short answer is: The ability to speak and understand data.
The slightly longer answer is the ability to understand several aspects of data: Data creation, data usage, data models, data characteristics, value of data, etc
In essence it is an understanding of how the data is an integral part of the business and the effects data has on the business and the effects the business has on the data.
Examples of what good looks like
Data is viewed as an essential part of the business rather than a by-product.
We talk about data and what the data tells us.
We can articulate how we know if we have succeeded in any initiative and know how to measure that success.
We discuss data quality and the implications it has on our ability to use data to develop the business.
Why should you care about data literacy?
In order to succeed with the transformation, we need to understand how data works and how to use it.
Is data literacy enough? No, it is one component to succeed, but it is not enough. We will in later editions get back to the components needed to succeed.