BETTER TO ASK FORGIVENESS THAN PERMISSION is the mantra of the Analysis challenged and in a commercial context analysis is generally considered an essential success component. 

In the last twenty years I have noticed a shift from the lauded and methodical READY, AIM, FIRE approach to analysis and action to the manic READY, FIRE, AIM sequence where the role of Analysis appears to have shifted from careful consideration before acting to backward facing justification of acts done.  Ignoring the value of Analysis is justified by the generic North American ‘first mover wins’ where many avoid the risk of Analysis slowing action.

STRATEGY is supposed to be better, a carefully considered and analyzed long term view of business opportunity and deployment of assets to create market value to serve commercial and non-commercial communities and enterprises.

Oddly enough STRATEGY suffers from the same fate as Analysis as contrary to the fiction of the ‘NUMERATI‘ or data priests, most enterprises, communities or people are uncomfortable with measuring and measures.  There is an awkwardness, discomfort or simple ignorance of how to connect numbers and stories that typically results in:

1. ANALYSIS PARALYSIS
2. ACT FIRST, MEASURE LATER

ANALYSIS PARALYSIS is an affliction, not just a slogan, though it shouldn’t be confused with measurement denial and acting first and measuring later shouldn’t be confused with the ability to measure.

How can numbers help us avoid conditioned behaviour of analysis paralysis or acting first, measuring later?

1. Understand how to MEASURE the CURRENT STATE of your decision environment.
2. Clarify and QUANTIFY your OBJECTIVE.
3. Consider multiple future SCENARIOS or STORY groups in your future environment.
4. Envision ACTION options that may be AVAILABLE depending on the future that unfolds.
5. Take multiple PERSPECTIVES when measuring past, current or future PERFORMANCE

As a fully recovered accountant I discovered that stories underly numbers and indeed stories are numbers and numbers are stories where you become comforatable with the nuances of storytelling.  Don’t get dscouraged if you can tell a story because most that believe they can have a little way to go in this sequence:

1. Hear a Story
2. Tell a Story
3. Modify a Story to fit an environment
4. Create your own Story to craft a Scenario
5. Live a Story from multiple simultaneous Perspectives

If the idea of telling stories or connecting numbers and stories is new to you then read as many stories as you can and observe how the numbers relate to the story and how the story would have changed without numbers.

Remember numbers are necessary to measure and it is difficult to know where you you came from, where you are or where you are going without numbers. 

Cheers,

Nick www.scenario2.com