How to Build Data Products Your Company Will Actually Use
Across both public and private sectors, more organizations are adopting a “data-driven” mindset-or, at least, data-driven messaging. But in reality, most aren’t prepared for the reality of what it takes to truly make decisions based on data.
Teams have to be aligned about what data is used and how decisions are made. Data has to be accessible and available to the right decision-makers at the right time. And someone has to be responsible for collecting, cleaning, storing, and staying accountable for the quality of all that data. But too often, there’s more focus on producing flashy dashboards than investing in data products that actually provide meaningful value to a business.
We recently discussed this state of “data-driven” affairs with Afua Bruce, a seasoned leader with an incredibly diverse background. Afua has served as the former Chief Program Officer at DataKind, Data Strategy Lead for the FBI, a software engineer at IBM, and Executive Director of the National Science and Technology Council under President Barack Obama. So it’s safe to say she has a unique perspective on how organizations of all shapes and sizes can succeed and fail when it comes to building data products.
In our recent talk, Afua drew from her real-world experience to share some best practices on how data teams can improve their odds of building data products their companies will actually want to use. Here are six of Afua’s top tips.
When you’re building a new data product-or really, looking to implement any kind of change in an organization-you need to create a vision that helps stakeholders understand why they should care and what the impact will be.
Afua recommends data teams start by understanding how the product aligns with your company’s overall vision. “You want to understand your organization’s strategy, vision, and mission,” Afua says. “You may not spend a lot of time reading those wonderfully worded, often beautifully designed pages on your company’s website, but you’ll want to refer to them as you’re building a business case for the work that you’re doing.”
Then, clearly outline and describe how the finished product will change stakeholders’ lives for the better. Paint a clear picture of how their teams will be able to operate more effectively. And as you build out the product, look for opportunities to create and promote short-term wins.
“Even if what you’re building isn’t set to be delivered for an entire year, you want to show something of value at least by the three-month mark,” Afua says. “Really show people: Here are some things that we’re doing well in order to build excitement and start building momentum.” Keep building on those early wins as you progress to keep up stakeholder investment and support in your initiative.
Without alignment from the right people across teams, your work may run into insurmountable roadblocks-or you may find that you’ve wandered down the wrong path altogether.
Afua shares one example of change management gone horribly wrong. She had just started working with an organization that had recently completed a merger, and according to the leaders, everything was going beautifully.
