“We need to be data-driven” is a tagline being bandied about across all parts of organisations at the moment and HR is no different. It seems to be a convenient way to sound important, sound strategic and all too often push responsibility onto someone else’s shoulders. The real question, however, should be “why do we need this data?” “what do we need to decide?” and “where should we start?”. That is what we are about to explore.

As a proactive, forward-thinking, modern HR professional, what should you do to take ownership, add value, and be the principal driver for data-driven HR activities? Let’s start with what you shouldn’t do; You shouldn’t ask yourself or anyone else in the organisation “what analytics do we need?” or “what data does that require?”. Doing so will miss the point and all too often pull the shutters down on what should be an extremely valuable activity.

You should, however, sit down with your organisation’s leaders and managers. Ignite conversations and demonstrate that HR is a strategic enabler of critical decisions by asking them “what is the organisation trying to achieve?”, “where do we need to be in 6 months and beyond?” and follow-up with “what does the organisation need from its workforce to do this and therefore what decisions do you need to make?”. When you have these answers, you’ll find that not only has your reputation been greatly elevated but you have identified priority areas for workforce insight. This process represents a critical point for HR. The HR strategy takes its lead from the organisational strategy. Your workforce analytics strategy must take its lead from the critical organisational decisions required. This ensures any analytical output is focused on guiding educated decisions.