The whiteboard photo is something I crafted to convey how data can be analyzed. I call it the Wisdom-Action matrix.
The hierarchy of understanding a phenomenon is as follows:
- data
- information
- knowledge
- wisdom
This speaks to how one can put the captured facts in context. Does what you know shape a generalized narrative? Is it noise that can be disregarded?
Another dimension is the degree of agency with respect to the data. This, too, follows a hierarchy:
- descriptive
- diagnostic
- predictive
- prescriptive
Another way of saying it is understanding evolves from hindsight to insight to foresight.
Combined, this creates the Wisdom-Action matrix.
