Data must be interpreted in context and without noise
Before being used as a basis for action, data have to be interpreted in context and without noise.
Data are collected as a basis for action. Yet before anyone can use data as a basis for action the data have to be interpreted. The proper interpretation of data will require that the data be presented in context, and that the analysis technique used will filter out the noise.[1]
Graphs are “the most powerful tool available for presenting data in context. Among the many graphs possible, the running record and the histogram are the two most useful.”[2]
See also:
- Pressure to meet a target value changes the system or the data
- System noise is undesirable variability in judgments
Ibid. ↩︎