In situations where evidence exists or it’s easy to collect evidences that may support any accurate decision, it would be a total waste to ignore them. They also save time and allow for a faster way to reach a path. In addition, it’s much easier to evaluate decisions when they’re based on evidences then when they are driven by instinct or a feeling. When time to decide is short or when it concerns a very complex/innovative issue for which it is hard to find similar examples or evidence that may help choose the best solution, then experience and human instinct play a key role in my decision-making process.

Pragmatism may be the enemy of creativity when it always leads us to choose the fastest way or one that has proven to be effective. However, pragmatism may and should control creativity by questioning and eventually lead to the dismissal of unrealistic or hard to implement ideas rather than others that may be simple and proven effective and have a better cost-benefit performance.

In fact, pragmatism may complement and be best friends with creativity. Creativity is the adventurous friend who doesn’t like monotony and is constantly looking for new solutions, challenging herself with new projects while pragmatism is the wise friend that explores pros and cons, analyses risks and anticipates problems. In other words, creativity helps take off and pragmatism is essential for a safe landing. The important thing is to never stop travelling.

I think that more than a secret science, it’s a hard science and maybe more unusual than it should. Besides the pressure to keep presenting budgets with greater competitiveness and less costs, the pressure of time-fulfilment makes it hard to have those deadlines and budgets realistically achieved. In addition, we still have the complexity issue related to several variables that need to be taken into account and that many times have mutual influence. However, if we want to strive for projects and proposals’ credibility this needs to be addressed in order to reach that purpose.

Like many others, Big Data is a powerful tool that may bring several benefits if used correctly. When exploring and crossing information we must find a purpose that brings advantage to those in possession of data and those making it available. We’re talking about “privacy paradox” - people too often raise this kind of concern on one hand, and at the same time easily share personal data on social networks in exchange for a better service. In many cases, a simple correlation of non-personal data is enough to identify a good opportunity to provide relevant information or a customized offer at the right time and place. It is up to the operators to create useful services and be transparent in the way information is used.

As someone who works in Analytics for many years, I see the “science of numbers” as very clarifying. When we have data to analyse, we may be surprised and realize that a task has taken much longer than expected, projects with a certain level of risk need greater effort and that a specific behaviour is within the standard pattern, just to name a few. However, one needs to be open and have a critical spirit to see beyond numbers. There are always variables that are still not considered or simply can’t be measured and that may be enriched or even bring a different ending to the story that is exclusively being told by numbers.

It’s an expression that I accept very naturally. No one likes making mistakes, but mistakes are a part of human activity. If we hadn’t been wrong in the past, we wouldn’t have learned much of what we know today. Mistakes end up being an incentive to try different ways, evolve in other directions and seek other points of view. Many things are learned by trial and error, namely when you’re risking something new.

But this expression should not be used as an excuse to keep making mistakes repeatedly. If it’s only human to make mistakes, not learning from them is undoubtedly foolish and reprehensible. Therefore, I only hate the expression when it is continuously used as an excuse for incorrect behaviours or decisions.

History gives us several examples where error may be a form of learning, such that lead to the invention of the lamp or to the opportunities found in drinking Coca-Cola drink as an alternative to a headache cure or Post-its to make good use of poor glue.

Despite the majority of errors not having turned into successful stories, these cases may serve as inspiration to risk and make errors that still haven’t been made and to keep a critical mindset towards other perspectives.