Good leaders become great leaders when they have strategic alignment throughout their organisation. When it comes to a data analytics program, “it’s ultimately about understanding the relationships between data, processes, technology and people, so your organisation can maximise its ability to generate the greatest business impact from data”.
An organisation’s data strategy should first be designed to meet business objectives. Then, leaders need to establish consensus and ultimately get buy-in by "managing the cooks in the kitchen". So essentially, to achieve a strong strategic alignment, people must work collaboratively, under a clearly articulated vision, with the data they need to do their best work.
In this blog we take a look at three influential roles within an organisation and what they need to reach those objectives.
BONUS
Do you tend to confuse strategy vs. tactics? First take a look at,
How Alignment Helps People Do Their Best Work
Strategic Sponsor
The strategic sponsor is responsible for setting the business objectives. In addition to the CEO, this role can be filled by CIO, CDO or business unit heads. They play a part in determining the overall mission and vision of the company. Their success lies in evangelising, ‘what they are shooting for’ so it’s clear and understood.
They need to maintain strategic direction and validate their objectives, in addition to the people part. To make this happen, high-level, accurate data from cross-functional teams (the ‘fifty-foot view’) gives them access to tools that calculate historical, real-time and predictive results.
Here are some examples of what a CEO would need to stay on track:
Structural data: purchase order records, production or inventory logs, financial statements
Unstructured data: reviews, testimonials, interviews, customer calls
A good leader truly lives up to the company’s mission and values as an act of integrity. Persistent reiteration of the company mission and values should be a core part of the company culture at every level as a top-down approach. Clearly communicating the mission and values from day one, and through every interaction with employees and customers, will help enlighten and hone this. - Branislav Vajdic, HeartBeam Inc.
Data Champion
The Data Champion is responsible for advancing data program initiatives. In addition to the CIO, this role is often filled by Directors of Data Science or Business Intelligence and other Managers. Their success lies in determining what bets the team will place to reach business objectives and ensuring people have the data they need to make this happen.
Often situated in a central role, they play a part in championing a data program whereby people are motivated to provide input on what they need to do their best work. A CIO would need access to data systems that pair program benchmarking and timelines with resource and budgeting analysis.
Here are some examples of data a CIO would need to maintain momentum:
Business intelligence - financial, revenue, operational
Infrastructure - IT systems, network and cloud usage
Resource Management - time and equipment allocation
Team Member
In addition to the IT Manager, a Team Member can be an Enterprise Architect, Data Scientist or Business Relationship Manager (there are many more). Team Members are responsible for delivering tangible results by gaining insights from the data they work with every day.
In collaboration with the Data Champion, they need to take those ‘bets’ and create a future state. This can be done by a series of decisions that are made with the help of insights from various data systems. A significant part of the role is to communicate their needs for access to timely and reliable data that provides the necessary granularity.
Here are some examples of data a Team Member would need for better decision making:
Customer data
Sales growth
Systems management
Storage solutions
Visualising Strategic Alignment
5 Tips on How to get Buy-in
The people part is an important piece of alignment. For this to work, business objectives need to be clear and a series of bets need to be placed. Then, regularly revisit these 5 tips to maintain buy-in.
Return to your Why and reiterate
Respect everyone’s time
Listen to people’s feedback for ongoing improvements
Earn Trust in the Data - better, not more data
Identify what everyone needs to do their best work
Get a Minimum Viable Strategy
It’s important to have a strategy you can quickly turn into action.
Starting with a MVS, tactics can be planned in alignment with business goals.
