"How are we doing?" is the most common analytics question — and one of the least useful. Better questions lead to better answers, whether you're asking an analyst, a dashboard or an AI.
Be specific about the metric
Replace "How are sales?" with "How did new-customer revenue change this month compared to last month?" Specificity removes ambiguity.
Name the comparison
Numbers only mean something relative to something else: last period, the same period last year, a target or a peer segment.
Every useful question about data has three parts: a metric, a comparison and a decision.
— Trevor Whitmore
Tie it to a decision
Ask what you would do differently depending on the answer. If no answer would change your action, the question may not be worth asking right now.
Question quality checklist
Practical recommendations
- 1Write your question down before opening a dashboard.
- 2Include a time frame and a comparison in every question.
- 3End each analysis by stating the decision it supports.
Conclusion
Better questions are a skill any team can build. Start with the decision, and let the question follow.
Trevor Whitmore
Founder, Qelvoryxa
