3 rules for designing a strong analytics use case for your proposed project

3 years ago 546

Although IT and concern users whitethorn deliberation they person a coagulated concern usage lawsuit for their analytics, absorption mightiness not agree. Here are immoderate rules that tin assistance you debar disappointment.

If you've ever pitched a information task to absorption and gotten ho-hum results, you're apt not alone. In 2019, the Harvard Business Review uncovered respective alarming conclusions erstwhile investigating the information and digitalization efforts of organizations. "The percent of firms identifying themselves arsenic being data-driven has declined," the HBR study said. "We knew that advancement toward these data-oriented goals was painfully slow, but the concern present appears worse. … These sobering results and declines travel successful spite of expanding concern successful large information and AI initiatives."

SEE: Hiring Kit: Video Game Programmer (TechRepublic Premium)

HBR followed up with concern executives to spot wherefore determination was wide disappointment, and 1 proposal was "not to absorption connected wide data-driven translation successful a ample endeavor but alternatively to place circumstantial projects and concern initiatives that determination a institution successful the close direction."

In different words, uncovering occurrence successful data-driven projects that impact analytics and artificial intelligence comes down to identifying beardown concern usage cases wherever everyone tin spot contiguous results for the business.

But uncovering a beardown concern usage lawsuit isn't arsenic casual arsenic it sounds. Here is 1 pitfall that IT commonly runs into. The concern wants a usage lawsuit that tin present contiguous concern results, but erstwhile it comes to assigning a task pb from the concern side, the idiosyncratic assigned is usually not a cardinal cognition adept but is much of a inferior worker that the section tin spend to spare for task work.

I ran into this concern much than erstwhile successful my IT career. In 1 case, I was tasked to enactment with the concern section to streamline reporting truthful that the month-end accounting and reconciliation rhythm could beryllium reduced by 1 day. Accounting assigned a much inferior idiosyncratic arsenic its task lead. This idiosyncratic had an thought astir however to simplify reporting truthful reports would beryllium much readable, and doing this did shorten task clip for immoderate personnel—but it didn't interaction the month-end adjacent times to immoderate large degree. The concern task pb was blessed with the project, but I thought it fell short—and truthful did the CFO.

SEE: Digital transformation: A CXO's usher (free PDF) (TechRepublic)

Here are immoderate imaginable usage lawsuit issues and rules to travel to forestall them:

Issue: Like my illustration above, the simplified solution didn't really assistance precise much.

Rule: If you're IT and you're tasked to enactment with a concern section connected an analytics oregon AI usage case, marque definite that you're moving with a taxable substance adept connected the concern broadside who possesses the concern acumen and acquisition to cognize what it is going to instrumentality to interaction the business. Never settee for less.

Issue: Upper absorption is excessively engaged to reappraisal a usage lawsuit and corroborate its usefulness.

Rule: Insist connected reviewing immoderate usage lawsuit connection straight with precocious absorption earlier you start. What you privation to corroborate is that the usage lawsuit you're proposing volition truly present the benignant of concern interaction that absorption is looking for.

Issue: IT defines projects and past conscionable goes distant and does them. In the aboriginal days of analytics and AI aviator projects, erstwhile not overmuch was expected, this was an acceptable approach—but it isn't anymore.

Rule: Clearly pass your concern usage lawsuit connection to absorption and users. What volition it execute for the business? Can the results beryllium quantified? What bash you request to bash connected the task successful bid to get to the bottom-line results? Your usage lawsuit presumption to absorption should incorporated arsenic overmuch input from interior taxable substance experts arsenic you tin perchance get. You should beryllium capable to explicate the exertion down the task successful plain English—as good arsenic however the usage lawsuit volition impact existing concern processes and results. Project benefits (and besides risks) should beryllium explained, arsenic good arsenic budgetary impacts. Do not proceed with an analytics oregon AI usage lawsuit unless absorption enthusiastically confirms and supports its worth earlier you start.

Data, Analytics and AI Newsletter

Learn the latest quality and champion practices astir information science, large information analytics, and artificial intelligence. Delivered Mondays