Data Quality: What if Deming Were Born Today?

Abstract

If Francis Bacon were born today, he might have said “data is power” instead of his original saying, “knowledge is power.” In modern society, data is everywhere. In memory of Deming (a guru in quality), this paper attempts to address the fundamental issue of data quality and how Deming would handle it. Specifically, we attempt to explain what data quality really means, and the critical impact that it has on data science. Statisticians, who understand how to collect high quality data, have much more to contribute to both the intellectual vitality and the practical utility of data science. At the same time, data science challenges statisticians to move out of some familiar habits to engage less structured problems, to become more comfortable with ambiguity, and to engage more scientists in a fruitful discussion on what various parties can bring to this new mode of investigation. Some potential avenues for future research in the collection of high-quality data will be proposed.