Series · 8 of 8 published
Building a Data Team
A roadmap for building a data science, data engineering or AI function when you start with no handover and no map. Who you need, then five stages, in plain language, from building one in less than two years inside a heavily regulated company. Each stage says what you will usually find, what to do, what pushback to expect, and how to know you are ready to move on. The last part shows what it all makes possible for a business.
- 01How to Build a Data Science Function From Scratch: A RoadmapA five stage roadmap for building a data science, data engineering or AI function from scratch: what you will find, what to do first, what pushback to expect, and how to know when to move on.7 min read
- 02Who You Need on the TeamWho belongs on a data team, who to hire first, what to do when the budget runs out, why graduates matter, and where the team should report.5 min read
- 03Stage 1: Find Out What Is TrueThe first stage of building a data function is not technology. Write down what you have and create a rhythm. When we did, we found models that were simply wrong.5 min read
- 04Stage 2: Give Your Data One Safe HomeA model can only be as good as the data it learns from. How we brought scattered data into one checked and controlled home, and made security part of normal work.5 min read
- 05Stage 3: Give the Work a Clear PathIt used to take about a year to get a model into use. Now it fits in a two week sprint. The change came from a shared workspace and one agreed path, not from cleverer people.8 min read
- 06Stage 4: When People Push Back, Show ThemThe technology was not the hardest part. People were. How we got through pushback and red tape, by showing value in action, and how a crisis became our best argument.6 min read
- 07Stage 5: Trust Your People, Then Let GoThe last step is the hardest: stop being the person everything depends on. How trust moved us from waiting for things to break to stopping problems early, with a 90 day plan.6 min read
- 08What the Road Makes PossibleWhy walk this road at all? Once the foundations are in place, one team can help a business know its customers, keep them, price fairly, understand big risks and work faster.7 min read
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