Data accuracy is easily one of the essential strategies to ensure IT operations are running their businesses and infrastructure optimally. However, data is only valuable if accurate, complete, and consistent. Inaccurate data can lead to poor decision-making, lost opportunities, and financial losses. What else can inaccurate data lead to? Human error. Uptime Institute’s 2022 Outage Analysis pointed out that over 85% of the incidents stem from staff failing to follow procedures or flaws in the processes themselves. IDC estimates that human error costs organizations more than $62.4 million annually. A significant part of errors created by humans is because of tedious tasks and manual interaction with inaccurate data.

To ensure the data is accurate, businesses must implement strategies that reduce human error. It’s time to explain the top 5 data accuracy improvement strategies.

1. Standardization

Standardization involves creating consistent formats for data across all data sources. This can include standardizing data formats, field names, and data entry conventions. By standardizing data, businesses can reduce the risk of errors caused by inconsistent data formats and improve the accuracy of the data.

For example, if a business collects customer data from different sources, standardizing the data format can ensure that all customer information is entered in the same format. This can reduce the risk of errors caused by inconsistent data formats, such as typos or misspellings.

2. Automation

Automation involves using software applications to perform repetitive tasks automatically. Automation can reduce the risk of human error caused by manual data entry. By automating data entry tasks, businesses can reduce the risk of errors caused by typos or incorrect data entry.

For example, if a business collects customer data manually, using an automated form can reduce the risk of errors caused by manual data entry. Automation can also reduce the time and effort required to collect and process data, improving operational efficiency and reducing costs.

3. Training and Education

Training and education involve providing employees with the skills and knowledge necessary to perform data-related tasks accurately. By providing employees with training and education on data accuracy best practices, businesses can reduce the risk of errors caused by human error.

For example, businesses can provide training on data entry conventions, standard data formats, and data validation techniques. This can help employees identify and correct errors and ensure accurate and consistent data.

4. Data Quality Tools

Data quality tools are software applications that help businesses manage and improve the accuracy of their data. These tools can automate data cleansing and validation tasks, reducing the risk of errors caused by manual data entry. Businesses can use data quality tools to ensure that their data is accurate, complete, and consistent.

For example, data quality tools can automatically correct errors in data, remove duplicates, and validate data against predefined rules. This can help businesses ensure their data is accurate and consistent across all data sources.

5. Data Governance

Data governance involves creating policies, procedures, and guidelines for managing data. By implementing data governance, businesses can ensure that data is managed effectively and that data accuracy is a top priority. Data governance can also help IT operations and companies to comply with regulatory requirements related to data accuracy.

For example, data governance policies can include guidelines for data entry conventions, standard data formats, and data validation techniques. By following these policies, IT operations can ensure that data is accurate, complete, and consistent across all data sources.

Creating data accuracy – Getting started

Please don’t wait until you start experiencing serious IT operations or business issues because of data inaccuracies. By implementing these strategies, businesses can reduce the risk of errors caused by human error, ensure that data is accurate, complete, and consistent, and reap the benefits of data-driven decision-making, operational efficiency, and customer satisfaction.

Most of all, IT operations can work confidently, knowing that the data they leverage for infrastructure management is accurate. To get started, seeing if your data is precise today is critical. TFORM’s data experts deeply understand complex and large data sets. They can also tell you whether your operations are accurate or not. Don’t wait; get control over data accuracy today.