December 1, 2025

"The spreadsheet is... talking to me, Dave," I muttered, my eyes blurring at the sight of a column of numbers that refused to reconcile.

Dave, the tenured logistics manager who ran the department with the efficiency of a Swiss train, leaned over my shoulder. "That’s not the spreadsheet talking, rookie. That’s the sound of a quarter-million dollars’ worth of company assets currently listed as MIA (Maybe in Anchorage?)."

Having been hired as the new junior accountant at Southwestern Deliveries, a mid-sized logistics firm specializing in cross-country freight, my grand first assignment was to reconcile the fixed asset register. It quickly became clear that the current system was a chaotic mix of faded paper invoices, tribal knowledge, and an Excel sheet that looked like it had survived the Y2K scare.

Pumping the Brakes on AI Hype

This experience crystallized a core truth that often gets lost in the current conversation: No matter the sophistication of the application or tool, data must always be physically validated.

We obsess over the promise of AI and automation, yet every calculation, every forecast, and every performance metric ultimately relies on the quality of the input data. The failure to validate is the essence of the well-known "Garbage In, Garbage Out" (GIGO) principle—a concept that has never been more relevant in the age of Big Data.

The need for human oversight in a complex fixed-asset spreadsheet is fundamentally the same as it is in a robust, cloud-hovering automated environment at a Fortune 500 company. Yes, it is crucial to leverage tools to manage vast quantities of data. But it is more critical to validate the accuracy of those data points. Whether you are counting vehicles, tracking light bulb inventory, or analyzing excessive water consumption, the numbers on your flat screen are just a representation—and often, a faulty one.

Leading research consistently shows that human error is the single largest cause of data inaccuracy. This underscores the need for better Data Governance and Data Literacy across the organization, a point stressed by firms like Gartner.

Go Beyond the View: Questioning the Values

We are constantly reminded to fact-check the news, but have we been fact-checking our daily operational deliverables? The high cost of low-quality data is well-documented; it directly impacts key data dimensions like Accuracy, Completeness, and Consistency (Wang & Strong, 1998).

Early in my facilities career, I learned a crucial lesson about the "truth in numbers." I was responsible for delivery orders and was repeatedly told that managers weren't receiving their work. After a deep-dive investigation, I discovered that some staff members were physically removing orders from the work packs because they simply didn't want to complete them.

Some argue that moving the process entirely to a "bit-and-byte" electronic environment would dissolve these types of problems.

That’s not quite the case. Even in a fully electronic system, data can be claimed as complete, but has anyone physically gone out to check if that is actually true?

The Architectural Imperative

Consider the field of architecture: a draftsperson is responsible for reflecting the vision of a skyscraper with absolute accuracy. The smallest error—like the wrong selection of exterior glass or a miscalculated load-bearing wall—can cost millions in damages and significant project delays.

This principle extends to every business function:

• It’s not just about finding errors; it's about discovering how the mechanics of your business are truly functioning.
• It illuminates pathways for operational improvement that no dashboard can fully reveal.
• It is incumbent upon leaders to ensure that those under them understand the criticality of their work, and that accuracy is the fundamental component of that endeavor.

The numbers are only part of the process; understanding the "why" behind them is the key to actionable insight.

Don't be an armchair warrior. Embrace the principle of the Gemba Walk—go to the place where the value is created. Get your boots on the ground.