6 Myths and Misconceptions about Data Projects

As I considered how to promote my new book on driving data projects, I wanted to include myths and misconceptions that reinforce their value. I have experienced many of these in teams I’ve worked on or with. Data projects are not a static set of routines. It's a constantly evolving, open-to-innovation process.

Only 54 percent of organizations fully understand the value of project management, according to PMI's Pulse of the Profession™ report. That might explain, in part, why project success rates are so low: Less than two-thirds meet their original business intents.

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.

Countdown: Book Excerpt Chapter 3

Until an organization is willing to invest in its data capabilities, aligning data resources to answer complex business questions will be like riding a bicycle to chase a Formula One racer and never catching up. Scoping project opportunities well is about building enough trust to eventually scale resources. While a single project manager can accomplish some initiatives, most data projects require multi-disciplinary resources to execute.

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