The PRQL: Understanding Business Needs Before Building Data Solutions with Ethan Aaron and John Steinmetz
Nov 18, 2024
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Explore the significance of understanding business needs before developing data solutions. Two experts dive into the dynamics between data teams and traditional engineering groups, shedding light on how alignment can enhance efficiency. They share insights on navigating team interactions and ensuring data initiatives resonate with overarching business goals. The conversation is packed with tips for improving resource management and minimizing inefficiencies in data-driven environments.
Ethan Aaron emphasizes the importance of seamless data integration across different systems to enhance data management efficiency.
John Steinmetz discusses the necessity of aligning data initiatives with business goals to optimize expenses and value delivery.
Deep dives
Backgrounds of the Guests
Ethan Aaron and John Steinmetz share their extensive backgrounds in data management and engineering. Ethan, the founder and CEO of Portable, has nearly a decade of experience focusing on data integrations, enabling users to seamlessly centralize data from various systems. He highlights his work on 1,500 integrations, demonstrating his expertise in dealing with different systems' nuances. John, the head of data at Gallo Mechanical, has built multiple data teams from the ground up and emphasizes his journey from engineering to product management, showcasing his commitment to transforming the construction industry's data landscape.
Exploring Data Team Dynamics
The discussion highlights the differences between data teams and traditional product and engineering teams, particularly regarding company size and structure. John emphasizes the importance of aligning data initiatives with business goals to avoid unnecessary expenses, advocating for an integrated approach that encompasses engineering, product development, and design. Both guests express enthusiasm about the challenges faced by one-person data teams compared to larger 100-person teams, emphasizing how responsibilities and strategies shift in different organizational contexts. They underscore the critical nature of adapting data roles to meet the evolving needs of the business, ensuring that value is consistently delivered.
The Data Stack Show is a weekly podcast powered by RudderStack, the CDP for developers. Each week we’ll talk to data engineers, analysts, and data scientists about their experience around building and maintaining data infrastructure, delivering data and data products, and driving better outcomes across their businesses with data.
RudderStack helps businesses make the most out of their customer data while ensuring data privacy and security. To learn more about RudderStack visit rudderstack.com.
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