The 10 Data Rules to Win in the Age of Intelligence

Why new data rules are critical in the age of intelligence

To understand how modern data management is driving smarter business, imagine a trip to McDonald’s a decade ago. Guests walked up to a counter, described what they wanted – often changing their minds in the moment – and then waited while an employee struggled to input that into a point-of-sale system. A few long minutes later, the order would arrive, mostly correct but sometimes containing an error. Food might be returned and tossed, or the hungry but unsatisfied customer might grudgingly eat it.
Today, McDonald’s full embrace of data throughout its business allows it to offer personalized offers, mobile ordering, and in-restaurant kiosks. An AI-powered supply chain and real-time performance tracking have streamlined workflows, reduced waste and improved reliability and wait times. More of those hungry customers are getting exactly what they want and leaving satisfied. McDonald’s is playing by a set of new rules–where data is at the center of how it operates and delivers value.
Over the past decade, businesses have invested billions in digitizing their assets, convinced that volume and “big data” would lead to better decisions and a competitive advantage. Instead, more often than not, those repositories became digital landfills, siloed pools of information that offered little value. Data became something to manage, not something to activate. Not something central to strategy. Now, the game has changed. And new rules are needed.