How to Use 'Triangulate' at Work

Put the conclusion after triangulate. Then name the independent sources used to check it.

First ask what needs checking. Next make sure there is more than one independent input.

Step 1: name the conclusion

The object after triangulate tells readers what the team wants to check or determine.

Useful objects include:

• the estimate
• the churn number
• the cause
• the location
• what happened

Start with a short frame such as, “We should triangulate the churn number.” The sentence now names the conclusion. It still needs the source method if that method is not clear from the surrounding text.

Step 2: check for several inputs

The verb requires more than one independent input. Before using it, make sure the facts support that condition.

Do not use triangulate when the team checked only one record. Do not use it when no comparison took place. In those cases, describe the check that actually happened.

When several inputs are present, list them when that detail matters.

Step 3: add the source phrase

Use using, with, from, or across to introduce the inputs.

"We should triangulate the churn number using support tickets, exit surveys, and billing records."

The churn number is the conclusion. The tickets, surveys, and records are the independent inputs. The word using connects the conclusion to the sources.

Here is another complete work example:

"The team will triangulate the delivery delay's cause using carrier, warehouse, and customer records."

The cause is the point being checked. The three record groups give separate input about it.

Keep the sentence complete

A complete sentence answers two questions:

1. What conclusion are we checking?
2. Which separate inputs are we comparing?

If the surrounding text already answers one question, your sentence can be shorter. If not, name both parts.

For example, “We should triangulate it” depends heavily on context. The word it must have a clear reference, and the sources must already be known. “We should triangulate the churn number using support tickets, exit surveys, and billing records” stands on its own.

A quick workplace template

Use this pattern to draft a sentence:

"[Person or team] will triangulate [conclusion] using [source one], [source two], and [source three]."

You can change the subject, verb tense, object, and source phrase. Keep the defining method: several separate inputs about one conclusion.

After drafting, read the sentence once. Remove any source that does not address the conclusion. If only one source remains, choose a verb that describes a one-source check.

Practice scenarios

Practice using triangulate in situations like these.

• checking a churn number with tickets, surveys, and billing records
• checking a delivery delay's cause with three groups of records
• revising a sentence that names only one source

Practice these useful phrases.

• "We should triangulate ___ using ___."
• "The team will triangulate the cause from ___."
• "We triangulated ___ across several independent inputs."

The object names the conclusion. The source phrase shows the method.

Name the conclusion and the separate inputs.