Someone asked what produce businesses need. The response was, “They need their data.”
Whenever I hear that, I push back. “No, I don’t think data is what they need. Are they data scientists?”
I ask that question directly. If they are data scientists, I’ll grant the point. But from how people talk about their clients, that’s rarely the case.
The transformation from data to information to knowledge to insight to wisdom to… There’s a meme that adds “conspiracy theory” at the end.
These buckets matter.
When people ask for data, do they really want data? Or do they want knowledge? Or insight? It matters because it reframes the solution we design.
The Smell Test
One of our clients said, “If it’s not selling, it’s smelling.”
That visceral thing. That’s what the business owner is looking for. They don’t want to walk into their warehouse and smell something going bad. That’s money lost. Rotten produce is a symptom of missing insight.
The origin of that image goes from wisdom to impact.
You build wisdom not just to sit on a mountain like a guru. You want to turn that into something that has positive impact.
The Ladder
Most people ask for data, but data isn’t what they need to make decisions. They get data, put it in a spreadsheet, do a pivot table, create charts, and then find what they need to make a decision. But what are you trying to model with that spreadsheet?
Each level:
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Data: SKU numbers, arrival dates, temperatures, zones. Just facts.
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Information: Organized data. “Bananas received five days ago in zone 3 at 32°F.”
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Knowledge: Pattern recognition. “At 72°F, bananas go bad after six days.”
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Insight: “Bananas in zone 30 will spoil in 12 hours.” Pull inventory. Is it one case or a whole pallet?
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Wisdom: “If temperature stays under 65°F, shelf life extends by three days.” This changes behavior.
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Impact: Reduced waste, higher profits, optimized warehouse flows, better decisions.
This is the real goal behind the request for data.
The Question
So when people say, “We want data,” I ask, “Are you a data scientist?” If not, let’s talk about what you’re trying to accomplish.
From reaction to prevention. Less waste, more flow. Data didn’t stop the smell. Insight did.
Let’s design the app to give you insight, not overwhelm.
The question “what do you need?” often yields an answer that’s one step removed from the actual problem. The next question, “what are you trying to accomplish?” gets you closer to what matters.
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