In development, machine learning models often feel predictable. Training data is clean, features are well understood, and validation metrics give a clear sense of confidence. But once the model is deployed, it starts interacting with real users, live systems, and data pipelines that were never designed for ML stability. Inputs arrive late or incomplete, distributions shift, and user behavior changes in ways the model has never seen before.

What makes this especially challenging is that these issues rarely show up as hard failures. The model keeps running, metrics look acceptable, and nothing triggers immediate alarms. Over time, though, performance drifts, trust erodes, and teams struggle to explain why outcomes no longer match expectations. Curious to hear from this community—what was the first real-world signal that told you your ML model was no longer operating under the assumptions it was trained on, and how did you respond?

We all talk about becoming “data-driven,” but the truth is  that doesn’t happen just by buying better tools .
A truly data-literate culture means people across the company not just the data team – feel comfortable reading, questioning, and using data to make decisions.

But building that culture isn’t easy. It takes time, trust, and sometimes a big shift in how people work.
If you have ever tried to raise data literacy in your organization, what worked best?

Would love to hear your real experiences – the wins, the challenges, and the “we didn’t expect that” moments.