When it comes to making sense of data, getting actionable insights is the holy grail. But what does this even mean? When is a finding an insight? When is an insight actionable? Let's get to the bottom of this by looking at some examples.

Imagine, you have conducted a survey of 100,000 students and you seek actionable insights for what can be improved at their university.

Non-insightful vs. Insightful

Non-insightful is everything that's old news to you. Something that you already knew was an issue. For example, the fact that some students struggle with too many exams on at the end of the semester.

Insightful is everything that you did not know. Or, you may have had a hunch or a suspicion. Findings that contradict your knowledge, confirm your suspicions or quantify the importance of issues are insights. For example, if findings reveal that 90% struggle with too many exams, this is insightful and worth re-thinking.

Non-actionable vs. Actionable

Non-actionable findings either lack specificity or are hard to action on. For example, if students talk about poor teaching quality in some courses without naming them, you cannot take action on this. Similarly, they may complain about circumstances outside of the university's control such as campus location or weather.

Actionable findings are those that can be translated into specific actions. It could be: easy to introduce changes, long-term strategy or complex overhauls. For example, if students complain that exam dates aren't communicated well, publishing them early and prominently is an easy fix. If students complain about too few places to study, an action would include setting aside budget and planning.

An insight is a finding that contradicts your knowledge, confirms or denies your suspicion, or quantifies the importance

src: linkedin.com