5 Data Organization DOs and DON’Ts

DO collect raw data

Collect your data in the rawest form with plenty of details

DON’T have messy data

Assure that you have a centralized way to log and have access to your data i.e. spreadsheets

DO keep it line by line

Focus on having all of your data and information logged line by line in your spreadsheets, you can worry about manipulating and filtering it later

DON’T try to add tallies/totals

Once your data is logged over a certain period of time, you can always go back to sort out totals and specifics

DO trend your data over time

Give your data time to trend. This is how you will notice helpful patterns and trends.

DON’T rush the data

Definitely do not make decisions based on rushed data. Data can change over time and different patterns and trends may be identified. Hang in there!

DO identify KPIs

Identifying your KPIs helps you know which data is paramount and what data might be less important to focus on

DON’T allow data to become over-collected and unmanageable

If your data isn’t relevant to the business decisions you need to make and the KPIs you want to track, you might not need to focus your attention and efforts on it

DO visualize data

Creating data visualizations can help you better interpret your data and allows your data to tell a story

DON’T let data just sit in your spreadsheets forever

Constantly check in on your data, make visuals, and make data-driven decisions based off of this information