Tips to Improve Your Data Workflow
Data is everywhere. With so many potential sources of insight, sometimes it can be hard to wrangle all of the data available, transform it into what you need, and get it loaded in your software for analysis. That all needs to happen before you can even start looking for the insights that will give you a competitive edge. The best way to improve your productivity is to make your data workflow more efficient. Here are a few tips that might help.
Prepare Your Data
While it is tempting to get straight to work once you have your hands on some raw data, a step is missing. Your data should be cleaned and prepared for your analysis before you get started. That cleaning may include cutting out columns that are not used, using a tool to remove duplicate rows, or fixing incomplete or missing fields. Taking this critical step will keep errors from creeping into your analysis that will require time to figure out and fix later. That is, if it is discovered at all. The time spent preparing data is time well spent.
Identify Problem Areas
Are there parts of your process that you dread? Is there a place where things seem to go off the rails and crash to a halt? Instead of living with a broken workflow, take the time to stop and assess how to fix it. If there are parts that make you anxious, figure out why and fix them. Suppose there is a place where problems repeatedly crop up; figure out how to overhaul that part of the workflow or at least mitigate potential problems.
Automate the Easy Stuff
Look for parts of your workflow that are ripe for automation. Downloading a file every day at the same time each day, converting a text file to a spreadsheet, and pulling data from a database are all tasks that can easily be automated. Do not waste your time on simple, repetitive tasks. Let the computer handle it for you.
Cut Unnecessary Steps
Sometimes a decision made in the past no longer makes sense. There might be steps that you take out of habit that can be pruned back or eliminated. Take the time to question each step and ask yourself, is this working, and is it worth it? If you have been using the same workflow for a long time, you will likely find some parts that are no longer necessary. Don’t be afraid to cut those. You can always add it back later.
Improve Communication
If your process spans to other departments, there is room for inefficiency to sneak into the workflow. Make sure that everyone is clear about who needs what. Improving communication can go a long way towards avoiding questions and problems. Something as simple as setting up a group to notify when things change might save hours of back and forth. Those savings mean faster iterations and more value created.
Eliminate Human Errors
As mentioned earlier, computers are good at doing repetitive tasks. People are not. If there are places that you can eliminate manual data entry, do it. The elimination might be as drastic as completely automating a physical task away or as simple as making sure that only numbers can be typed in the phone number field. In both cases, there are fewer chances for something to break the process. Let the computer do what it is good at and let people do what computers are not good at.
There are a lot of ways that you can improve your workflow. Most of it comes down to carefully evaluating the habits and routines you have. There is a good chance you can already name some of the most painful spots in the process. Putting off fixing problems has costs in the form of productivity. Remember that putting in the effort now will also save you from the very things that make your job less enjoyable.
