The cost of a wrong number in a report
One bad number doesn't just cause one bad decision. It quietly destroys trust in every number that follows it.
A single wrong figure in a report seems like a small thing — catch it, correct it, move on. But the damage isn't the one number. It's that everyone now wonders which of the other numbers are also wrong.
Trust is the real asset
Reports work because people act on them without re-verifying. The first time a number proves wrong, that stops. People start double-checking, building shadow spreadsheets, trusting their gut over the dashboard. The entire value of reporting — confident action — erodes.
Protect correctness ruthlessly
This is why data validation, a single source of truth, and reconciliation matter so much. They're not pedantry; they're what keeps reports believed. One visible error can undo months of accumulated trust.
A wrong number doesn't cost one decision. It costs the credibility of every number next to it.