One of the challenges of dealing with dark data is based on how we think about what we know. We believe that we know what we know. We believe we know what we don’t know. We believe we know things that are actually unknown to us. We may not realize that there are things that are completely unknown to us. To be competitive, we need to rapidly learn the unknown and find a way to create value from it. ULEADD (Understand, Learn, Evaluate, Assess, Define, Design) is a way to improve decision-making, reduce failure, and structure discussions in a productive, team-based environment. ULEADD is a framework for discovery that provides a structure to identify and extract value from data that is typically hidden from sight.

The evaluate and assess steps in ULEADD set the stage for everything you do when you approach dark data. You will be better positioned for success by understanding what you know and don’t know, what you need to move forward, and methodologies that will support your work.

The define and design steps in ULEADD are where you document what needs to be done and begin to plan your solution. These key steps act as your blueprint forward, ensuring that you have a complete picture and plan before beginning any data work.