Liya Aizenberg, Director of Data Engineering at Away, discusses building successful data teams, fostering trust and collaboration, aligning data projects with business goals, and promoting proactive decision-making. She emphasizes the importance of technical skill sets, knowledge transfer, upskilling, and diversity in tech. The episode explores effective team attributes, measuring ROI in data projects, incremental project management, adopting agile methodologies, and evolving data engineering for generative AI.
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Quick takeaways
Building a successful data engineering team requires fostering trust, collaboration, and continuous learning.
Effective data engineering teams prioritize agility, adaptability, and focus on driving value for the organization.
Deep dives
Importance of Focusing on Business-Driven Ideas in Data Teams
Creating a conducive environment where data team members feel empowered to innovate is essential. However, it is equally crucial to ensure that the ideas generated align with the business objectives and deliver tangible value. Emphasizing a results-driven approach helps in maintaining focus on impactful outcomes, avoiding wasteful endeavors. Striking a balance between experimentation and practicality is key, aiming for innovation that drives value.
Building a High-Performing Data Engineering Team
Data engineers play a pivotal role in enabling effective data utilization across organizations. To establish a high-performing data engineering function, trust, collaboration, transparency, and knowledge exchange are vital. When building a team from scratch, seeking individuals with a passion for data, open-mindedness, technical proficiency in tools like Python and databases, and adaptable to evolving industry trends ensures a strong foundation.
Adopting Agile Methodologies and Prioritizing Business Value
Embracing agility and adaptability within data engineering teams facilitates swift adjustments to evolving requirements. Collaboration, flexibility, and a focus on results are cornerstones of agile practices in data projects. Prioritizing projects based on their direct impact on critical business needs, identifying quick wins, and defining MVPs with stakeholders ensure alignment with organizational goals and drive value-driven outcomes.
Building a successful data engineering team involves more than just hiring skilled individuals—it requires fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and continuous learning. But how do you start from scratch and create a team that not only meets technical demands but also drives business value? What key traits should you look for in your early hires, and how do you ensure your team’s projects align with the company’s goals?
Liya Aizenberg is Director of Data Engineering at Away and a seasoned data leader with over 22 years of experience spearheading innovation in scalable data engineering pipelines and distribution solutions. She has built successful data teams that integrate seamlessly with various business functions, serving as invaluable organizational partners. She focuses on promoting data-driven approaches to empower organizations to make proactive decisions based on timely and organized data, shifting from reactive to proactive business strategies. Additionally, as a passionate advocate for Women in Tech, she actively contributes to fostering diversity and inclusion in the technology industry.
In the episode, Adel and Liya explore the key attributes that forge an effective data engineering team, traits to look for in new hires, what technical skill sets set people up for success in a data engineering team, leveraging knowledge transfer between external experts and internal stakeholders, upskilling and career growth, aligning data engineering initiatives with business goals, measuring the ROI of data projects, working agile in data engineering, balancing innovation and practicality, future trends and much more.