Obstructed View

Many apologies for my tardiness;  several medicos were researching the nether parts, which obstructed access to a keyboard.  Of course, what with Super Bowl coming up and football themes, it was the Hands Team involved.

Continuing the sports theme, many older venues feature bargain-priced seats which do not permit full view of the playing field.  Anyone who has sat behind a pillar in B Deck at Ohio Stadium understands the physics of the thing, but doesn't get a price break.

As we plunge ahead into the much-heralded era of "big data" there is some concern that the mountains of data before us might be obstructing the view of what's really important in our supply chain world.  The core issue becomes one of figuring out how to tunnel through the mountain to reach a clear view of what's on the other side.

Analysts can help, but only to the extent that they are savvy enough to throw away the data that doesn't show us what we need, and experienced enough to manipulate the remaining data to tell a story with meaning - to give the clear-eyed leader enough to go on in planning an organization's next strategic moves.

It is a challenge without an easy answer,  but one that we need to be mindful of.  Ultimately, we will be responsible for those next steps, whether we know enough or not, and whether what we "know" is relevant.