Since most people don’t know a lot about IT organizations or data teams it’s important to understand why moving from ad hoc efforts to a mature approach to driving data projects makes sense. The timing might not be right (now). Becoming data-driven through data as a service requires a serious investment of resources, finances, staff, equipment, services, etc.; scaling efforts will only increase those topline demands. It’s a serious ongoing commitment many organizations find themselves surprised by—even today.
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Back to Basics: The Benefits of Data Projects
Data teams should be regarded as intentional business partners because they provide the underlying technology that enables business strategy and maintains data as a corporate asset. They can help educate business partners on the upstream and downstream impacts of poor data quality, and they can help cultivate more effective ambassadors for data governance across the organization.
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Finding Meaning in Data Projects by Asking: Why
Most data teams cover WHAT and HOW with standard reports and KPIs. They will optimize processes and analyze business domains impacting the company's bottom line from a data perspective.
But how many data teams truly understand the WHY behind the reports they generate? How many actively consult with the business as a true partner to understand the underlying business concerns behind the numbers? Without the WHY, delivering true value in the WHAT and HOW is ten times harder.
The importance of scope
n driving data projects, I find people underestimate the impact of scoping projects effectively.
Too often, you see technology leads with new platforms or tools looking for a problem to solve, or business leads with a unique one-off request from an executive reporting forum carry over to a data team as a priority requirement, whether it is or not.
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Writing a book is like getting a tattoo
Writing a book is a lot like getting a tattoo. It’s permanent. It marks a life transition. It's also 95% pain, 2.5% novelty, and 2.5% talking that novelty to others. It's proof I was able to push past the anxiety and deal with the pain to do something creative. Finishing is a wonderful feeling of accomplishment, proof that I made it past all the barriers.
Driving Data Projects is, first and foremost, a love letter to my students. The book highlights two main stumbling blocks they hit: understanding the data supply chain and their role in it and integrating key change management activities like working with executive sponsorship. I also observed these issues outside of the classroom--in almost every organization I've served. Everyone skins their knees on these issues--because they are hard.
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Going Deeper: Making Projects Work
When defining needs is ignored, it can stifle progress faster than the stickiest government red tape. For example, when we cannot translate our business requirements into data or more technical requirements, we lose the ability to make informed decisions. Or, when we lack the courage to confront the poor content of a colleague, we lose the collective ability to influence as a team and move the group, initiative, or business forward. Guess what? That was in our control, too.
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Dos and Dont's for Data Analysts Relying on ChatGBT
Data analytics is filled with complexity. Anyone saying otherwise is selling products. Knowing the data sources, data sets, general lineage, and behavior of the numbers are table stakes for the average data consumer. We must know where our data comes from. Much like we need to know where our food comes from and how it's processed. Is it safe to consume?
Lately, I’ve heard many stories about early career folks with data analyst titles turning to ChatGBT for help because they don't know where to go with questions. ChatGBT should only be used when the output can be rigorously challenged, which can only happen if you have the foundational knowledge of how the output was generated. Here are some handy Do’s and Don’ts to remember before turning to ChatGBT.
BOOK ANNOUNCEMENT, OPPORTUNITY TO PRE-ORDER!
After teaching informatics for seven years, I’ve got a new book coming out! Driving Data Projects.
It’s a love letter to my students and a guide to my fellow colleagues. Many employees seek out or are thrust into a series of responsibilities in data management for which there is little formal training. How they engage with data in those roles impacts the privacy and security of consumer data and overall risk to the company's bottom line. The problem?
They aren’t quite sure how data works or how to drive data projects, not really. Today, almost all projects involve data to some degree, yet the data aspect is not adequately addressed.
Resistance mitigation strategies
Change management wouldn’t be so hard if it weren’t for…the people. Open issues or objections left unresolved today cost time down the road. Suppose work starts before these concerns are mitigated. Stakeholders might get frustrated or begin to hold back their participation. Work produced might have difficulty getting implemented. Buy-in realizes impact.
There are three angles to consider. Addressing stakeholder resistance, achieving consensus on how deliverables are revised, and ensuring bi-directional feedback is balanced and actionable.
From Insights to Infrastructure: KPI Reports as Your Strategic Bridge
The synergy between analytics and Information Technology (IT) is more crucial than ever. As organizations strive for digital transformation, understanding the complex dynamic between these domains is critical to achieving strategic objectives. However, this relationship is not static; it's evolving in response to new tools and methodologies, governance requirements, and ethical considerations.
Understanding the tools facilitating this translation is critical to driving successful digital transformations and achieving strategic objectives. Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reports are often a misunderstood yet critical bridge between analytics vision and IT execution.
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