The Most Valuable Part of Analytics is Not the Analytics
Everywhere you look demand for data scientists is on the rise. Recent reports suggest that 80% of all UK businesses are looking to add data science skills to their organisation as soon as this year.
The recruitment wave is booming by as much as 300% over the last five years and yet, data scientists operating in their natural habitat of data, analytical models, and visualisation are not going to help business be more efficient or profitable!
Creating a data-driven culture is not just about hiring a bunch of very clever analysts that magically pull together incredible reports and create beautiful graphs.
The fundamental question every business leader should be asking is whether their data analyst can talk business? Most data scientists are exceptional in doing the technical bit yet struggle to translate and communicate what they uncover in data to immediate, actionable business language.
The chances of finding a data scientist that can identify the business problem, appropriately apply analytics and subsequently convey actionable insights in a way the rest of the business understands, is only adding to the challenge of recruitment.
However, this mix of soft and hard skills, technology and business skills, as well as specialising in sector-specific skills, may just be too much to ask of one person.
Having run a Business Analytics team for many years, with eight very clever people who all had a job history in other parts of the business, I feel their broader experience turned the team into a perfect storm. Without exception, each was highly effective in translating data insights to the needs of strategic planning, sales forecasting, and marketing performance reporting. Their ability to be analytical and creative at the same time was what made the organisation trust and incorporate their efforts. Their broader experience made them effective business partners.
Success will come from balancing data science skills with a strategic objective to become a data-driven organisation, finding that common language between data scientists and your decision-makers.
Who will be your translator?
Join us on Sept 7th to meet Eddie Jones, Head Coach of England Rugby, to hear how he’s delivering a fact-based decision-making model for the upcoming Rugby World Cup in Japan.
CI Group is a collective of smart marketing agencies delivering success across sectors. Pearl Analytics, the newest member of the group, can help you better understand your business transformation. Contact Robert Mol to find out more about our Analytics offering.