Focusing your development process specifically on data as you measure and optimize processes might seem like a risky prospect at first. However, that data reliance is what makes data driven development a very interesting option. As expected, data driven development has its own pros and cons. However, with the right information, you can figure out if this is the right option for you or not.
The benefits of data driven development
- With help from data driven development, you can boost the productivity of your business. That means you have access to data which can lead to growth and more value for your company. It also helps you avoid bad decisions, since everything is relying on comprehensive, useful data that’s very accurate.
- Using data driven development gives a sense of transparency. You will have a very good idea of where the data comes from, and there’s nothing to hide. Transparency can also become a major point for your business as a whole.
- Since you rely on data, that means you remove a lot of potential errors and the constant bias. That’s important, because you have access to the right data, which in turn leads to better decisions down the line.
- It boosts the confidence of your team, while also lowering the potential downsides and risks that some people might worry about.
- It also focuses resources on priorities that were proven by data and with detailed analysis.
The downsides of data driven development
- One of the issues with data driven development is that you have to rely on data, which means you need to wait until enough information is acquired. That can slow down the decision-making process. Sometimes it can be a bad thing.
- There are situations where data driven development can be misused, and that might hamper the innovation, while limiting the overall growth of the product.
- However, there are also some things that you can’t measure. Things like the company leadership, reputation or customer happiness aren’t just numbers on the board. They are very subjective, and it’s difficult to measure these.
- Even if you have past information, that doesn’t mean you will have an accurate insight into the future performance.
- Data quality can have a massive influence on the results. If, for some reasons, the data quality is not great, that can be a huge issue. You always want to ensure that whenever you have data driven development, your data is extremely accurate and to the point.
Conclusion
Using data driven development can be a great idea, because it allows you to rely on proven data and thus eliminate a lot of risks. However, you also need to ensure that the data itself is very accurate and to the point. A lack of adequate data and proper information can lead to excessive issues down the line. That’s why you never want to understate something like this. Instead, you want to assess data, check its quality and then you can take the rightful decisions. In doing so, you will have a great result, while also focusing on business growth!