We live in a world obsessed with data. Every click, swipe, and scroll is tracked, stored, and visualized. Businesses hoard information like it’s gold dust. But here’s the hard truth:
Big data doesn’t guarantee big insight.
In fact, more data can often cloud judgment. You end up drowning in dashboards, second-guessing every chart, and chasing metrics that don’t move the needle.
So what’s the missing link? Better questions.
Good questions beat good dashboards
Insight doesn’t start with a dataset — it starts with curiosity. It starts with understanding the actual problem you’re trying to solve. Here’s the test: before you load up a spreadsheet or log in to your analytics tool, can you clearly state what you’re looking for?
A few sharp questions:
- What specific behaviour are we trying to change?
- What decision hinges on this data?
- What does success actually look like here?
If you can’t answer these, your report is probably noise.
Small data, sharp focus
Some of the best insights I’ve seen came from a single table, not a giant warehouse. A startup founder asking, “Which user segment is sticking around after week two?” gets farther than the exec demanding a 25-page slide deck with zero follow-up.
Ask less, ask better.
So what should you do?
- Start with the decision. What do you need to decide today? Build backwards.
- Don’t track everything. It leads to analysis paralysis.
- Treat reports as conversations. A good report invites action, not admiration.
The next time you’re lost in a sea of metrics, zoom out. Maybe you don’t need more data.
Maybe you just need a better question.
CM Data Consultant 
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