Book Excerpt: While a fully funded budget that supports data as a service is an integral part of a data transformation’s financial picture, few are fully staffed or funded. Three-quarters of executives confirm their organization now has some form of data strategy (however rudimentary), but a paltry 16% say they have the skills and capabilities necessary to deliver it.[1] Even though the average staffing budget is growing yearly, finding the skills and capabilities to execute data projects is becoming harder and harder.

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.