Data vs opinions - what really helps in decisions

Opinions reassure. Data forces decisions.

Opinions:

give a sense of support
rarely lead to clear conclusions

Data:

is uncomfortable
shows differences
leaves no room for interpretation

Data-driven decisions are harder, but repeatable and scalable. The problem is that data doesn't eliminate uncertainty - it only controls it. That's why it's crucial to understand how to make decisions under uncertainty.

The best example is data from competitive analysis as data - one-time research is opinion, continuous monitoring is data.