Insight 3 from Research Focus - be an essential part of data analytics projects
Jinfo Blog

By Robin Neidorf

Abstract

The third and final insight from Jinfo's Research Focus, "Data analytics - ready your information service", discusses how to overcome the "11th hour" request for input into analytics projects.

Item

One of the biggest concerns from information managers with regard to data analytics is the "11th hour" request - because information managers lack visibility into when and where analytics projects are emerging in their organisations.  

This environment creates extra expense, delays and sub-optimal data selections... not to mention irritated project stakeholders.

Your best strategy to address this challenge is to cultivate key partnerships and be a good partner yourself.

Jinfo suggests:

• Develop and pursue your own data analytics strategy: Include in your 2017 plans specific goals to cover how you will enhance your source expertise to support analytics... and how you will promote it to potential partners.

• Map your environment: Document the departments and parts of the business that touch data analytics, and craft a plan for cultivating relationships with priority stakeholders.

• Informal discussion: Initiate dialogue and exchange of ideas about analytics with potential partners, even in the absence of specific projects. Monthly coffees, quarterly conference calls, exchange of reading material... make your interest and unique expertise clear long before needed.

• Participate positively: The more prepared and confident you are, the easier it is to say "yes" rather than "no". As you invest in your own source expertise and gather insight about how vendors can and will work with you, you'll become the partner who moves projects forward rather than holds them up.

Potential partnerships can be found in IT departments, analytics or strategy units, business units and even legal and procurement. Your stakeholder map will help you identify the likeliest places for effective partnership.

There are no shortcuts to building better visibility into emerging analytics projects. Persistent efforts to align and work with key areas of the business build the foundation you need to become a "must have" rather than an afterthought.  

Support from Jinfo: leverage our research and experience

The content in the recent Research Focus, "Data analytics - ready your information service", tackles the problem of project visibility and provides many examples of successful engagement.

Jinfo Consulting can support your development of a specific, measurable strategy for improving your visibility into projects during 2017 and beyond.

These items from the Research Focus provide specific guidance:

• Jinfo survey on data analytics - 2016
• Insider knowledge - working as a text analytics manager
• How you can identify and influence data analytics projects
• Buyers and sellers collaborate on the data analytics challenge
• What's at stake if information services are excluded from data analytics projects?
• How to get involved in data analytics
• Jinfo model - create your 12-month plan for data analytics

• Webinar recording (available to all Jinfo Subscribers): How information services can best work with the many stakeholders of data analytics
• Webinar recording (available to all Jinfo Subscribers): Identify - and overcome - the most common data analytics risks

Other don't-miss items from this Research Focus include:

• Q&A with Evalueserve - harnessing insights through mind and machine
• Revolutionising big pharma with big data, visualisation and analytics

The main lessons learned from this three-month Research Focus, plus a thematic index to all content published, are listed in the Insights and actions report from the Research Focus, "Data analytics - ready your information service". Visit the Research Focus page to get your copy.

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