Having a cross-functional analytics team that encompasses functions of technology, business, operations, legal, and HR can help full-scale adoption of analytics in every department. Lack of teamwork among these cross-sections of departments can hamper analytics-driven initiatives. Poor collaboration creates the risk that analytics may not get the relevant data and will not be able to provide the information promised. This may result in distrust of the analytics program and eventually to its abandonment. Training of personnel in analytics concepts, practices and benefits can mitigate these risks.
There are many approaches to train and immerse employees in analytics. Rainmaker BA recommends empowering employees to easily access data and actionable insights as paramount in analytics training. All key employees need to be aware of the available data, analytics metrics, and KPIs - for their department and the entire organisation. A common understanding and interpretation of the Metrics and KPIs related to analytics needs to be established across all levels of the organization. This analytics dictionary must be accessible by all authorized users and packaged in the right business context.
Employees need to be trained in technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Analytics and Visualization. Awareness of these areas can be raised via several educational activities and events. Rainmaker BA conducts information sharing activities through group sessions. These sessions highlight success stories where data to smart decisions resulting in measurable financial or operational impact. Formal training sessions on data analysis technology is also a great tool to train employees into an analytical mindset. Conducting mini-hackathons and prediction competition on known data sets for employees are other approaches used to train employees.
