Windscreen versus Rear View Mirror

Which one is more important? Both of course. Each has a different reason to exist. Do not confuse one with the other.

Analyzing what has happened in the past will tell you only about the past, not about the future. Sometimes, these are called 'lagging indicators'.

Develop the ability to predict. It requires a different set of capabilities. Knowing what happened it the past is one part of it. Additional capabilities are required to predict the future. Sometimes, these are called 'leading indicators'.

Do not fall into the trap of collecting data that is easy to collect (its available, low cost and visible) and ignore data that is important to collect (its usually harder to find, therefore requires additional effort, is harder to explain/justify and therefore looks expensive to collect).