# Analysis Often Isn't the Answer By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2023-12-05 Many people believe that data and analysis are the answer to their problem. For example, one will know what to do if one collects the appropriate data and analyzes the situation in depth. This works sometimes, but it often is the slowest path to progress. Sometimes, it is faster or more effective to try. Instead of surveying customers to see what features they like, why not just deploy the feature to see the response? One will unlikely deploy a harmful component because one has intuition and experience. In short, if one is decent at one's job, one can relate to the customer. No amount of historical data is going to predict all future nuances accurately. At some point, doing something is the most prudent path forward. Furthermore, doing something is often the only way to know if it will work. This is especially true when behaviors and systems are largely unknown. Simulations of situations and systems are time-consuming and only a model of reality. As all models are wrong, one can only be so confident in the simulation's results. In general, one should go for it when mistakes are recoverable, it's the quickest way to results, and one has experience in the area. Otherwise, the analysis may be the better choice. One may think analysis will regularly win out here, but rarely is this the case. Nearly all mistakes are recoverable, doing something is often faster than deploying a controlled analysis experiment, and one can easily gain second-hand experience via the internet. So, stop overthinking it and get on with progress. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Experiments]] [[Experience]] [[Work]] [[Action]] [[Progress]]