Data Literacy for PMs: Beyond the Dashboard

3 MINS

# Data Literacy for PMs: Beyond the Dashboard

Dashboards are everywhere. Data literacy is not. There's a growing gap between having access to data and knowing what to do with it. As a PM, being comfortable with data tools isn't optional anymore—but knowing which tool to reach for, and when, is what separates useful analysis from busy work.

Root Cause Analysis: Multiple Data Sources

Different questions require different approaches:

When you need to answer "how many users did X last week?" or "what's the conversion rate for this flow?"—this is dashboard territory. Tools like PowerBI, Tableau, or direct SQL queries give you answers fast.

When you're exploring data to find patterns—"which user segments behave differently?" or "is there seasonality in this metric?"—you often need to slice data in ways dashboards weren't built for. This is where Excel, Python, or tools like Alteryx shine.

When something breaks or a metric moves unexpectedly, the answer usually isn't in one dataset. You need to join data from different systems, control for variables, and sometimes build custom views that didn't exist before.

The PM's Data Responsibility

You don't need to be a data analyst. But you need to be dangerous enough to:

Validate what you're told. When someone shares a metric, you should be able to gut-check it. Does the number make sense? What's the denominator?

Ask better questions. Knowing what data exists helps you ask questions that can actually be answered.

Spot data quality issues. Missing data, duplicate records, timezone problems—these corrupt analysis silently. Catching them early saves everyone time.

The Collaboration Model

The best data work I've seen happens when PMs and analysts collaborate rather than one handing off to the other:

PM provides context on what decisions the analysis needs to support

Analyst provides expertise on methodology and data availability

Both iterate on the approach before diving into execution

The Takeaway

Data tools are more accessible than ever. The differentiator isn't access—it's judgment. Knowing when to use which tool, how to interpret results, and when to dig deeper versus when to act on what you have.

That's the kind of data literacy that makes PMs effective, not just informed.

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Lokesh Leel was part of the August 2025 cohort at Curious PM, alongside 15 other talented participants.