Hear from our CEO about how centralising data systems has empowered our leadership team to make evidence-based decisions, streamline operations, and remain compliant. Read more to find out how this data-driven approach is helping the team excel and drive the business forward.
Please could you firstly just introduce yourself.
Of course, so Fiona Stilwell, I’m the CEO of PETA, I’ve been in PETA for just shy of 2 years now, and I spent the first year looking at our 5-year strategy and one of the first things I did was look at the systems we use and how we pull data out of the systems so we could have a more centralised database.
Why was this important for you?
It’s really important to me because when you have a single point of the truth, which is the data, you have an evidence-based way of making decisions in the business, you understand the business more, the whole team can be more curious, but more importantly, we had a really good insight as to what’s happening within the business. It is backward-facing, but it enables us to make forward-making decisions.
So one of the first things we did was centralise the systems, so they all work on one dataset, which means we can pull one set of reports out and they all link to each other, so not only is the business more efficient, but it also means that the data is consistent and there’s one dataset.
And why is it essential to you that your leadership team uses this centralised point of data?
I’m sure many people will recognise that when you don’t have a centralised data system, there are lots of different data sets, and therefore it can become quite unwieldy, meetings can take a lot longer than they need to because people are looking at the different sets of data and trying to understand them, their terminology may be used interchangeably.
By having one standardised set of data, enables meetings and decisions to be made much more efficiently and effectively because we’re all talking the same language. The team, not only feel more empowered, but it also enables them to become more compliant in their roles to ensure that they are consistently achieving what we need them to achieve.
And what about the decisions from a leadership point of view, how has the data supported your choices?
Making sure that the data is being used to help make decisions is really important to me, not used as a crutch or a reason for not performing, so it’s about, have a look at it and see what trends are there to make forward-making decisions, not look at it and go, oh that’s not working, it’s about making sure that we don’t make the same mistakes twice and we learn.
Not only does data support the performance of the business, but the compliance of the business I’ve mentioned is really important. With good systems and good data, there is less information in different formats across the whole business, it’s on the system first so we pull the data from that system. It’s safer, it’s safer for our apprentices, it’s safer for our employees, so that we’re not jeopardising any personal data.
One of the first roles I invested in when I joined PETA was a Data Technician role so somebody who was able to pull that centralised reporting for me, because I saw the value in that, and the efficiency that it would create for the business.
And since you’ve had more of a focus on this data, what difference do you think that’s made to the business?
I would like to think that the team all understand more about data, all of the leadership team have been through data training, and I would also like to think that it enables the wider team to start to understand their impact in the business and how individuals can have an impact on the business based on data, based on the evidence they’ve got. In utopia, I’d like it to empower the whole team to make the decisions they need to, to be excellent in their jobs.
It’s a journey, so it doesn’t happen overnight, but by having that central dataset will allow them to become more empowered in their roles.
Thank you Fiona.
Our new Level 3 Data Technician Apprenticeship will equip you with all the skills you need to effectively utilise data to help inform your business decisions, watch our webinar for more information here.