The Importance of Data

Collecting, processing and usingThe Importance of DataThe Importance of DataYou as an employee of Sainsburys have a responsibility to ensure you collect accurate dataYou may think that your job is just to keep the shelves full and not have to worry about the statistics collectedActually, you have to look at the bigger picture. This information is very important to Sainsburys, we need it to operate effectivelyObtaining it starts with you guysLets take working on the shop floor for exampleYoure job is to keep the shelves full but you also need to record the appropriate data for thisThe sort of things that need to be recorded are: amount of items sold, time on shelves, and the times they were soldTo record this information you will use handheld barcode readersThese are used to count the items on shelves and send it to our computer systems You will have to use these on a regular basis throughout your shift to keep track

How We Use DataThis is how we use the data from these barcode readers:

ForecastingWe can use this information to determine how much of a product was sold and at what time. Knowing this we can plan for the future. For example, from the handheld scanners we know that on Friday evenings we sell more alcohol than at other times. Knowing this we can make sure that enough alcohol is on the shelves for Friday evening. If we didnt do this, you guys would be running around like headless chickens making sure the shelves were stocked up! By our predictions we know roughly when you need to check the alcohol section.

Making DecisionsWe need good information from you in order to run a good store and collectively, a good business. Decisions are made on many different levels from the data collected by you. Some decisions are made by your supervisor. Such as how many staff to allocate to the dairy section.Some are made by your department, such as how many staff to employ on the shop floor.Further on, decisions are also made by your manager. These could be things like how much sunscreen to order this summer based on last years sales.Finally this data will be used by head office to make decisions on things like whether to expand the store or not. Or whether it is a good place to start trials of a new Sainsburys Finest product range.All these people rely on the data provided by you. They need to make important decisions that will have a big impact on Sainsburys. Thats why this data needs to be accurate. If we make decisions on wrong data it could be the wrong decision. So remember, when you feel like cutting corners, you could be responsible for the failure of one of our product line.

Monitoring ActivitiesOur stores are like big machines with turning cogs. The information is passed around different parts of the machine which need this information to keep turning. It is inevitable that occasionally things get out of sync and need manual correction. To be a good machine we need to know when there are errors so we can fix them and how to prevent these errors occurring again in the future.We do this by monitoring the different parts of the machine. We employ certain people to check everything is running smoothly.Within this machine as well as other things, you are effectively a sensor which gives readings. These readings are important to keep the machine running. These readings could be things like how long a sandwich has been in the fridge. After a while that sandwich will turn bad and we are not allowed to sell it. We need to get that sandwich in the fridge as soon as possible so it has the maximum amount of display time. If it is not sold we lose money.With the data collected by you we can see how long that sandwich has been in the fridge. We can use this to make sure the sandwiches are getting from the supplier to the fridge as soon as possible and if they arent why not? We can answer this question only if you collect the data in the first place.Monitoring ActivitiesWe also make sure that a log is kept of every job that is done. This is usually by way of a record sheet. When you complete a scheduled task you will have to sign and date a log to show that job has been done. This is so that every process is accounted for. By doing this, someone else can come along and double check the records. They should be able to see what job was done, at what time and by who. This can be very important for many different reasons such as:1 A customer complains of food poisoning from one of our fresh food items. If we have kept a log of regular temperature checks of the food, we can show that it wasnt because we didnt keep it cool enough.2- You have to deliver a pallet of vodka to another person and it goes missing. If you have signed it over on the tracking sheet which follows the pallet, you can prove that you were not in possession of the vodka at the time.See, collecting and processing data correctly may save your own skin one day.So RememberIncorrect data causes problems. Stick to these rules and you should be fine. Your data should be:Valid Correct and verifiableReliable It can be trustedTimely Available when neededFit for purpose Appropriate and presented correctlyAccessible Usable by othersCost Effective Only collect it if we need itAccurate Correct enough to be usefulRelevant Only what is necessaryDetail Dont go too in-depth if its not necessarySource Use other data only from trusted sourcesUnderstandable Keep your writing legible and your documents neatStick to these rules and your data will be useful to yourselves and more importantly the company.

Zzzz.You can wake up now!