Let’s Quit Using the Term Analytics

Analytics sounds like a cool word. I’ve gotten into the habit of using it far too often without regard to the person’s analytical acumen that I’m speaking to. I subconsciously assume they know what that over-used word is.

But let’s peel back the layers of the term analytics, a noun that started gaining steam in word usage circa 2005.

Analytics is simply the idea of grabbing data and putting it into a usable format for easier, better, or faster decision-making. It’s that simple.

In a small company, finding or grabbing data can be as easy as depositing it in a Google sheet where another app can read it, such as Tableau. In larger organizations, a boutique firm can help you set up a simple data warehouse structure that is easy to maintain and update.

I serve CEOs and their leadership teams in small businesses, and they tend to geek out on the visuals, which makes complete sense.

However, step one is always finding and getting the data we need to query and placing it in a repository that ultimately becomes usable. That’s the heart and soul of analytics. The visual analysis is the icing on the cake.