We are data-driven animals, and by “we” I mean all human beings, not just quality professionals. It starts from the moment we are born. The brains of babies are wired for exploration, surprise, inspection, analysis, and synthesis. The interpretation and use of conceptual information is what sets our species apart from all others on planet Earth.

All of which is a rather convoluted way of saying that we at Quality Digest recently surveyed you, our readers, asking a variety of questions about your preferences, your jobs, and your companies. We received a lot of data in return and, like a bunch of newborns, we’ve been eagerly trying to figure out what the heck it all means ever since. Now, the amount of information we gathered doesn’t come anywhere close to the realm of “big data,” but speaking on behalf of our team, I can assure you that it was plenty big enough for us.

As usual, some of what we learned surprised us. For example, it turns out that, when asked for your three favorite QD authors, just 3.6 percent marked, “Mike Richman.” However, 13.5 percent of you voted for Dirk Dusharme! What is this world coming to? I demand a recount, and this time, I plan to buy some votes.

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