What should be your initial step to harness the power of data science in a small manufacturing business?

The initial step to harnessing the power of data science in a small manufacturing business is to document your existing data collection and archiving practices. This is crucial because understanding what data is currently available and how it is structured lays the foundation for any future data analysis efforts.

By cataloging the existing data, a business can identify gaps, ensure data quality, and establish a clear framework for organizing data so that it can be effectively used later for analysis. This practice also helps in determining what additional data might be needed for meaningful insights and drives better decision-making processes. Without a comprehensive understanding of the existing data, any subsequent efforts to analyze or leverage data science could be misguided or ineffective.

The other options generally represent more advanced steps that would occur after establishing a solid foundation of data practices. For instance, hiring a team of data scientists or investing in expensive software would be premature without having a clear understanding of the available data. Similarly, increasing an advertising budget without first analyzing the existing data would not provide the strategic insight needed.