Is Your Analytics Team a Scorekeeper or a Growth Architect?
In boardrooms and leadership meetings across industries, analytics teams are often celebrated for producing reports that show last quarter’s performance, revenue trends, and key KPIs. These metrics matter, executives need to understand what happened.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: If your data team spends 90% of its time counting, who is thinking about what comes next?
The Two Roles of Analytics
Analytics teams typically operate in one of two modes:
1. The Scorekeeper
The role most companies default to. These teams build dashboards, track revenue, and report on performance. They answer the question, “What happened?”
There’s nothing wrong with this, it’s necessary. Businesses need accurate and timely reporting to run operations smoothly.
2. The Strategic Enabler
This is where the magic happens. These teams go beyond reporting. They use predictive and prescriptive analytics to identify growth opportunities. They answer the question, “What should we do next?”
Examples include modeling customer churn, forecasting demand, identifying untapped markets, and recommending pricing strategies.
One role looks in the rearview mirror, the other looks through the windshield. Both matter, but the balance between them determines whether your business stays competitive…or gets left behind.
Why So Many Companies Get Stuck in Counting Mode
Why does this happen? A few reasons:
Comfort Zone: Executives feel safe with concrete, historical metrics.
Immediate ROI Pressure: Reporting feels tangible and easy to justify.
Talent Misalignment: Brilliant data scientists end up producing static reports instead of driving strategy.
Organizational Silos: Analytics is isolated from decision-makers, reducing its influence.
The result? Companies that know the past better than anyone but fail to anticipate the future.
Is There a Perfect Split?
There’s no universal formula, but here’s a practical benchmark:
30–40% of resources on reporting and compliance (the essentials).
60–70% on growth-focused analytics, such as modeling, forecasting, and experimentation.
Think of it as a shift from measuring performance to shaping performance.
The Cultural Shift Required
Analytics as a growth engine isn’t just about tools or models. It’s about mindset:
Moving from “Tell me what happened” to “Help me decide what to do next.”
Treating your analytics team as strategic advisors, not scorekeepers.
Empowering them with access to decision-makers and a mandate to influence strategy.
The Question Every Leader Should Ask
Before your next planning cycle, ask yourself:
Is my analytics team helping me understand the past—or helping me create the future?
That answer could be the difference between keeping pace and setting the pace.
Your Turn:
What percentage of your analytics resources focus on growth versus reporting? What’s working—and what’s holding your team back? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
