I push for data driven solutions. Data can and should be leveraged to help in making almost any decision. However, this should be done in a thoughtful manner and not just using any data lying about at hand.
Data analysis done poorly can lead to really bad decisions.
Sometimes it is not possible to make a data driven decision. Maybe the data can’t be trusted, maybe the data doesn’t exist. It is even possible that the results cannot be accurately interpreted because there are too many variables involved. Data driven decisions can be worse than those made by gut feel alone.
The magic thing about decisions made from the gut is that often they are also based on data analysis. But the data used for these gut calls is data gathered over many years and processed through experience. It isn’t written on paper anywhere, it’s just processed in the back of the head. There’s a reason so many people trust their guts.