Secrets of Data Analytics Leaders

Most data leaders want to deliver data products, but few are doing it. Let's face it: most data teams today function as internal service bureaus that fulfill customer requests that arrive via ticketing systems, email, handwritten notes, or calls from colleagues looking for a favor. Most work double time to keep their request backlogs from ballooning from weeks to months. In this environment, few data leaders have time or capacity to switch from a project management approach to a product management one. Even if data leaders had time, most wouldn't know how to make this transition. Most have no experience in product management, nor do they have a good idea of a data product. So asking data leaders to deliver data products is like asking them to build a rocket ship that can travel to the moon. In this episode, Wayne Eckerson interviews Henrik Strandberg, a strong proponent of running data teams using product management principles. Henrik Strandberg is a seasoned data transformation leader who, for the past 25 years, has helped numerous organizations bridge gaps between business and technology. In stints at publishing and gaming companies, Henrik has developed a unique understanding of building and delivering data products at scale that delight customers.

GenAI can help data engineers become more productive, and data engineering can help GenAI drive new levels of innovation. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/achieving-fusion-how-genai-and-data-engineering-help-one-another

Discover how master data management (MDM) provides language models with high-quality enterprise data to improve their response accuracy. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/improving-genai-accuracy-with-master-data-management

Explore our four primary criteria for evaluating conversational BI products. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/genai-driven-analytics-product-evaluation-criteria-for-conversational-bi

The success of Generative AI depends on fundamental disciplines like DataOps. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/dataops-for-generative-ai-data-pipelines-part-i-what-and-why

With the increasing adoption of Generative AI, learn how data governance will add value to and benefit from Generative AI. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/data-governance-in-the-era-of-generative-ai

Podcast discusses challenges of data democratization when stakeholders lack data knowledge and the importance for data teams to collaborate with business units. It also explores obstacles encountered by data teams due to delayed business feedback and highlights the rise of self-service data tools for bridging the gap.

The European Union recently passed the first of its kind legal framework on the development, use, and governance of artificial intelligence. It lays out rules and standards with the aim of ensuring technologies are safe and transparent, and do not violate the fundamental rights of an individual. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/the-eu-ai-act-and-the-emergence-of-new-global-standards

Most organizations are committed to responsible and ethical use of AI. Yet anticipating unintended consequences before designing and implementing AI can be challenging. This framework and process helps evaluate short-term and long-term impacts across multiple dimensions so you can mitigate AI’s unintended consequences. Published at: https://www.eckerson.com/articles/mitigating-ai-s-unintended-consequences

It's not easy being the head of data & analytics at a large organization. You must align a large team across multiple disciplines; you must deal with oodles of legacy systems and tools that hamper innovation; and you must deliver business value fast to keep executives at bay and your job intact. You also need to recruit dynamic managers who can push the envelope while meeting operational objectives. And when you falter--which you inevitably will-you have to rebound fast. No one knows these lessons better than Tiffany Perkins-Munn. She currently runs a 275-person data & analytics team at JP Morgan Chase that consists of data engineers, data scientists, behavioral economists, and business intelligence experts. She thrives on versatility, having earned a Ph.D. in Social-Personality Psychology with an interdisciplinary focus on Advanced Quantitative Methods. Building on this foundation, she has accumulated vast experience in the art of managing data & analytics teams during her 23 years in technical and managerial roles in the financial services industry. In this interview, you’ll learn: 1. Tiffany’s secret for aligning a large data & analytics team and keep them from splitting into silos of specialization 2. Her favorite techniques for recruiting the right people to her team. 3. How to wade through the thicket of legacy systems and deliver innovative solutions quickly. 4. The impact of GenAI on her operations and the financial services industry. 5. How to advance your careers in data & analytics.