Could Big Data Drive Public Policy?

Interesting blog post about the potential of using data to drive public policy decisions, as opposed to our current "politics first at all costs" mess.  Not to make a political statement here, but regardless of your political persuasion the current polarized environment is anything but effective.  I wouldn't mind giving data a real chance as the author suggests.  You can read the post here.

Connecting the Dots - Why Economic News Matters to FM's

It is never a safe or necessarily wise thing to try to predict the future, and I am not.  Make no mistake about that.  But all of us should maintain an awareness of the world around us as we plan our personal and business lives.  I am generally an optimist and pragmatic, believing that trends are cyclical; when it's bad it is bound to get better, and when it is good a healthy dose of realism when planning is prudent.  That said, I also recognize that some highs are higher, and some lows are lower.
As I listen to the voices around me and filter them through my own biases and experience, some resonate.  A couple of information "dots" that I am now connecting give pause. 

Bill McBride over at the Calculated Risk blog is one of the best I see at giving us hard data coupled with objective information.  If you track his history over the last few years you will quickly understand why he is respected as one of the best in the area of simplifying economic information (why I appreciate him so much) for greater understanding.  He gives us this reality check as it relates to employment numbers.  We all know it has been a rough road.  Looking at this graph makes it clear that this has been a very deep and wide trench.  It is good that we have begun to claw our way up, but last week's employment numbers amplify that we have a long way to go.


Robert Zoellick, departing president of the World Bank offers a sobering summary of world wide economic fragility in this recent Wall Street Journal interview.  The list is long...Europe's issues, lackluster U.S. job growth, general lack of political will to make necessary choices, the impending "cliff" facing the U.S. economy, escalating difficulties in developing nations as they struggle with trickle down effects and their own issues all combine to form a daunting image of the months and year(s) ahead. 


The Conference Board offers supporting albeit more positive analysis, including the following statement on the outlook for advanced economies.  


"Advanced economy growth is expected to slow down from an already meager 1.6 percent in 2011 to 1.3 percent in 2012. For 2013-2016, the outlook suggests some recovery in advanced economies, bringing these countries back to the pre-recession growth trend of a little more than 2 percent."


I am not suggesting doom and gloom here and I note again that I am not a trained or even amateur economist.  However, I do pay attention to the data points as those who are expert talk.  From all accounts this will continue to be a period of increased risk and fragility.  This month and the rest of the summer will be important as Europe makes decisions that will affect all of us for decades.  Those dots have connected and will continue to do so.  They bear watching, closely.


As FM leaders we share a responsibility to guide our organizations through the future.  Keeping our eyes and ears attuned to the outside world as it changes and adapts economically is an important function in forming strategy and capital development plans.  

Count the Paper Clips

If you read this blog even occasionally you know that I am a big fan of data and metrics in managing the FM domain.  Our group routinely tracks, analyzes and reports data on the full breadth of services we perform.  As a result we are tuned in to the pace of our business and can almost feel minute shifts that signal change we should be aware of.

We are now reaping the daily dividends of a grass roots effort begun several years ago when “count the paper clips” first came into our lexicon.  That was the direction given when a manager asked, “What should we count?” upon hearing that we were going to undertake a metrics program.  It was a brilliant answer.

That response started us immediately.  If we had said, “Let’s design a program.  We need a system before we can start,” or asked “Who has the knowledge and skillsets we need?” we would have been stalled at the start.  The answer “count the paper clips” mobilized us to immediate action.  We did not have a system, program, or organizational structure, but we knew we could count them and we did.  While we were at it, we counted everything else.

As a result, we now have data going back several years on every facet of our operation.  Over time our capabilities and sophistication have grown.  When we started we knew how to count.  Today, we capture, analyze, project, and plan strategically based on what we know for certain and can predict with high accuracy.  We can anticipate shifts in business patterns before they occur based on well established relationships between disparate data points.

The payoff for us is not simply that we are able to do a better job with greater accuracy.  The job is also more fun.  By enabling our staff with training and giving them a vision we have allowed them to learn, participate, discover, and grow.  The great bulk of the work is accomplished by line staff who are in direct contact with systems, processes, and customers.  Virtually all team members have been trained in basic statistics including data gathering, data structure, pivot tables and pivot charts, data smoothing, analysis, and how to format and report operational data.

This metrics initiative fueled the start of our Continuous Improvement initiative when it came along soon after.  Unlike some others, the Facilities staff knew and understood the importance of data driven planning and were familiar with the routines and discipline required to be effective in the quality improvement effort.

Every month line managers gather to review metrics and analyses that have been produced by staff.  We track and analyze details to identify trouble spots and opportunities.  We investigate causes, analyze data, and adjust operations. We have seen our Customer Satisfaction scores improve markedly while getting more done and focusing our efforts on what really matters.  We work hard at it and the results show it.  Our group is rightfully proud of their abilities and we serve our organization better than we did before.

And it all started with counting paper clips.  

Baseball, Data, and Facilities Management

A friend recently sent me a link to a LA Times op-ed piece that used Sandy Koufax’s 1965 perfect game as a data collection object lesson.  This was of interest to me because I was a big Koufax fan (the only time I ever cut class was to watch him pitch his gem against the Minnesota Twins in the ’65 World Series) and I have an interest in data as it relates to the world of FM.  The article is both enjoyable and informative, and makes a couple of points relevant to those of us who collect, analyze, or use data. 

You can never have too much data

Often people choose not to collect certain bits of data because they do not have or know of a current need for it.  As the author points out, however, we sometimes later wish we had data that we could have had if only we had collected it. With new analysis systems and protocols we can learn things from old data that help us today.  The example he uses in the article is how collecting additional pitch count data changed the way pitchers are used, thus extending their careers and value. This data always existed but was not collected prior to the 1980's.  The potential benefit of the data existed but was unrealized because it had not been collected.

Investigating old data can lead to new learning, which in turn results in improved operations and services.  Our FM group is a case in point.  For years we have been collecting and using data on the full spectrum of services and operations.  We collect much more data than we analyze or report, but when we need it, it is there.  For example, we have millions of lines of BMS data which allows us to conduct rigorous analysis and troubleshooting when needed.  The point is that we did not have a specific need for the data when we started collecting it.  We just did because we could.  Now, having that data available opens the door to important insights.  It allows us to investigate root causes, to map relationships among various indices, and to gain valuable knowledge and wisdom that contribute to improved designs and process modifications.

Home run or hit-and-run?

Some baseball fans love the power game, as evidenced by the popularity and predominance of power hitters.  Others enjoy the nuance of the tactical game.  In the business of process improvement, however, the advantage goes to the tactical, the nuanced changes.  In business it is rare that you can achieve a large and dynamic change, a “homerun” that dramatically improves operations.  It is much more likely that improvements will be incremental with accumulated effect over time, much like a single, hit-and-run, stolen base and sacrifice fly will result in a run scored.  None of these represent a run by themselves but each is a key part of the sequence that produces in the end.  Would you rather take a big swing with lower odds of success, or spend the time to gain clarity and swing at exactly the right spot, at exactly the right time, with exactly the right force?  The answer is obvious, isn’t it?

Foresight and imagination enable discovery

Understanding at the earliest stages of a data collection project that you do not and cannot know how that data may eventually be used is an important point.  It allows you to take a wider approach to collection and a more diligent approach to the care of your data, and suggests a healthy inquisitiveness and respect for the unknown that lies in the future.  Data that has been diligently collected over time can be synthesized to investigate specific issues and discern patterns, leading to understanding and improvement.  This may come in the form of a revised process or identification of a problem or opportunity.  Regardless, the result is improvement.

Finally, understand that data survives individual systems.  Systems come and go.  They become obsolete and get replaced, or a new vendor may bring a new system into your operation. Regardless, the data is tangible, it is yours, and it is a hard asset.  Treat it that way both in how you care for it and how you protect your legal ownership rights to it.

Take care of your data, and your data will take care of you.