What is a Data Strategy Consultant?
You've heard of business transformation consultants, tech consultants, and maybe even analytics consultants - but what is a data strategy consultant? And why is it one of the areas that works best with consulting help?
Data strategy is a broad topic - it can cover everything from what analysis projects you decide to take on to how you manage data governance. It's also one of the most overlooked areas of data management in companies. So many companies hire a lower-level analyst and call it "good", then wonder why they aren't seeing significant growth or don't feel like they can trust their data. Having a data strategy is even more critical than having analysts in-house to interpret data.
What is a Data Strategy Consultant?
Crafting a good data strategy is a project that should involve almost every department and stakeholder in your company. Getting buy-in and understanding from everyone will ensure that you have understanding everywhere you need it - from sales teams to your developers. With the politics and silos that (totally naturally) begin to occur in companies when they grow, this can be difficult to get done internally. This is one of the (many) reasons that consulting companies exist.
An agency or a consultant can:
Be impartial to the complexities of the company politics
Give insights into how other companies have succeeded
Workshop plans and give an outside perspective
Bring in expert knowledge without hiring someone
A strategy consultant can look through your current data, systems, and projects and help you align everything better to your company goals. They can help you pick out data projects that will return on investment and even help you build out your data team. Strategy is one of your business's best times to collaborate with outside help because they can help you get to the core of what you want or need without getting caught up in the day-to-day of your business. Having that impartial view is more important than you would think. Someone who isn't worrying about their position in the company or what their boss would think can significantly impact making decisions that are for the best of the company and not just for the best of that individual.
What companies can use a data strategy consultant?
While almost any company can benefit from engaging with data strategy consultants, it's the medium to large companies that will get the most impact. Why? Because the more complicated your current organization is - the harder it is to create a cohesive strategy for data use.
Bringing in a fresh perspective is most important when:
The company is considering building its analytics team
During or right before a restructure
The company is having a hard time with data communication or lack of trust around their data (this is common)
Before starting a significant redesign or launching a new product
Like we've mentioned in our previous article, “Try It Before You Buy It: Why You Should Consider A Consultant Over A FTE”, many companies don't know who they should be hiring to best drive their data initiative forward. Any time a company is trying to make a significant change, a consultant can help guide those decisions.
Specific project ideas
With things like strategy, it can be hard to get a good picture of what impact a consultant can bring. Unlike an analysis project with a specific outcome, it can be harder to identify when you may want to bring outside help. Here are some examples of previous projects we have worked on:
A company wanted to build out a separate analytics team. We interviewed key stakeholders, took a look at their current data and needs, and recommended not only the positions they should consider but also where that company should sit in their existing hierarchy.
Creating an A/B testing program that would require heavy cross-team collaboration between UX, development, and the marketing department. Not only did they have high revenue goals for the program, but they needed to figure out how to track everything and find project management setups that would set them up for success.
Coaching on how to select data projects that would make an impact
A reporting audit. A consultant can go through your current reports and put them on the chopping block and begin structuring data communication that communicates.
If you’re curious and want to hear more, or you’re ready for help on your next data strategy project: Learn more about our Data Strategy Services
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