In three steps to a data-driven organization - Step 2: translating the vision into a data-driven strategy - A few tips from Jurre van Gool

‍The desire to work in a more data-driven way is not surprising. There is a lot of data available for organizations and data-driven work leads to the realization of more added value. In order to be truly successful in working in a data-driven way, it is important that the entire organization goes along with this, based on a clear vision of working in a data-driven way. In the previous article, you read how to set up a data-driven vision of working. In this article, you can read the rest: how do you translate the vision into a data-driven approach? In any case, take these 3 tips with you.

‍

Data-driven work is human work

Data-driven work is never the goal. We ask organizations questions such as: “What added value do you want to achieve with this? What does it bring and for whom?” Summiteer Jurre van Gool has expertise in the field of data-driven work. What is his view on the subject? How does Jurre contribute to creating added value for organizations?

“Helping organizations develop, with an eye for behavioral change and attention to people. In my opinion, Summiteers is very good at that! The attention for people attracts me in Summiteers' proposition. Personally, I also find this very important in organizational transformations in the field of data-driven work. That's where the difference is made in my experience.”

‍

The three steps to a data-driven organization

When Summiteers helps organizations further develop in the field of data-driven work, we identify high over three logical steps. This article is about step 2.

‍Step 2: Translating the vision into a data-driven approach. Among other things, the strategy answers questions such as:

• What is our plan to achieve our vision? So what steps (plateaus) do we see in front of us? What do our people need to make the vision a reality?
• What preconditions do we need to fill in for this?
• What is the relationship between them and when do we do what?

In this article, Jurre gives the three most important tips for this phase. You can read tips for phase 3 later in the third and final article. You can find the tips for phase 1, setting up a vision for data-driven work here.

‍

Tip 1: Phase the transformation in a data-driven way of working by means of a plateau planning

Once you know the organizational vision for data-driven work, you will determine the route. You do this by setting up a strategy. A strategy is your plan to realize the vision of data-driven work. In your strategy, you describe what you're going to do, how you're going to do it, when you're going to do it, and what you need to do that. In addition, with your strategy, you give direction, focus and structure to the transformation.

Realizing a (more) data-driven organization is no small task. It is often an impactful organizational transformation that affects all layers of the organization. Data-driven work has an impact on both decision-making in the top layer of the organization and on the performance of tasks in the workplace by employees. It can therefore be a challenge to make your strategy concrete and manageable. In other words, the strategy must be executable.

By phasing your strategy through a plateau planning, you divide the implementation into concrete and manageable parts. With a plateau planning, you plan the transformation into various logical intermediate steps, the plateaus. This ensures that there are always interim delivery times. In this way, you make it possible to validate in the meantime whether the strategy really adds value, the data-driven vision is realistic and whether you need to adjust the strategy execution. Here you are constantly asking yourself: “Am I still doing the right thing or do I need to change our priorities?” You work out the first plateau in detail, while the other plateaus are described in outline. This is how you create the necessary focus for your employees.

To ensure that you arrive at a plateau plan for the development of data-driven work, you can ask yourself the following questions, among others:

• What does the vision of data-driven work mean in concrete terms for our organization? What was set up then and when (approximately)?
• How do we structure the issue? What are the major chunks to identify here? What logical steps do we need to take in realising the vision?
• How long will it take to realize these chunks? Which components have priority? What comes first? What are the interdependencies? Who is qualified to do that work?

A strategy for developing data-driven work is not a “one-size fits all”. This depends, among other things, on the vision, current maturity and executive strength of the organization. Together with your employees, decide which platforms there are. A commonly used format is; “Basic in order”, “Implement & optimize” and “Expand & promote”. What are the logical platforms for your organization? Record this in your plateau planning.

After determining the different plateaus, you structure the data-driven strategy across the most important dimensions of preconditions. At Summiteers, we often make use of the dimensions; results, organization, process, people, data and technology. What are the steps across these dimensions for the first plateau? This determines the activities for the coming period.

Tip 2: Implement data-driven work by creating valuable applications

With the data-driven approach, you ensure the effective and efficient integration of data-driven applications into the organization. This includes, for example, dashboards, analyses and models that add value to the organization. This is a complex challenge that requires setting up different preconditions. Examples include implementing processes for unlocking data, implementing new tools and technologies and developing employee competencies.

Implement data-driven work using valuable applications, because this is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, you ensure the unlocking of added value. After all, you are realizing valuable applications for your organization. On the other hand, you work on setting up the necessary preconditions while delivering the applications. For example, employees develop the necessary skills to clean data, or design processes for securely unlocking data.

In addition, it often happens that the preconditions are generic and therefore more widely applicable than a single application. The preconditions that have already been completed will therefore be useful for other applications later. For example, data cleaning skills; these skills can be applied generically. If you ensure that you have a clear picture of the potentially generic preconditions, you can accelerate the organizational transformation and realization of applications more and more.

To ensure that you implement data-driven work through valuable applications, you can include the following activities in your strategy:

• Identifying maturity on the necessary preconditions and identifying the generic preconditions;
• Identify, analyze and prioritize the most promising and valuable applications within the organization;
• Identify, analyze and prioritize the most promising ideas for realizing data-driven applications within the organization.

Embed the development of a number of valuable applications in the various plateaus of your strategy. Determine what kind of applications are a good fit for the development of the organization. Make sure you get started immediately on realizing the added value of data-driven work.

Tip 3: Focus on developing a data-driven culture in the strategy

You can only achieve the data-driven vision if there is room and attention within the strategy for (further) developing a data-driven culture. After all, data-driven work affects your organization, all employees and 'the way we do things around here'. This is not limited to one plateau but consists of the joint climb (development) to the highest plateau.

What is a data-driven culture?
The data-driven culture concerns the behavior, values and beliefs of your organization and employees with regard to the use of data, to make better decisions and create additional added value.

What does an organization with a strong data-driven culture look like? Within these types of organizations, explicit value is attached to the use of data to make better decisions. This is defined in common values and actively encouraged (and sometimes even set targets). You can see it as if data-driven work is really in the DNA of the organization and the employees. Insights from data are then used in making all decisions in the organization.

Suppose you want to (further) develop a data-driven culture, where do you start? Despite the fact that the biggest changes in data-driven work often take place in the workplace, developing a data-driven culture starts at the executive level. As a board of directors, you will have to start actively promoting the importance of working in a data-driven way to employees. Make this concrete by explicitly investing the responsibility for data-driven work in the organization, investing in the right competencies, purchasing tools, data availability and adapting daily decision-making processes.

With dedication at the management level, you ensure that there is a connection across the various silos of the organization. After all, as an entire organization, you want to develop on data-driven work. This means working together across silos. In practice, this often involves discussions, for example about priorities on backlogs, setting vague quality requirements and limiting clear SLAs. Sound familiar? Bring employees together out of the silos around data-driven work and set shared goals together.

You can stimulate a data-driven culture by including the following components in the strategy:

• Proactively and jointly promoting the vision and commitment to data-driven work by management;
• Communicating the importance of working in a data-driven way and sharing successes;
• Bring different parts of the organization together in concrete culture sessions around the theme of data-driven work.

Last but not least, you will need to pay a lot of attention to the role of data-driven work in daily working practices. Create a culture where there is room for experimentation and it's okay to fail. Only by setting up these kinds of cultural preconditions in all layers of your organization can a data-driven culture be created.

‍

Summiteers

As Summiteers, we devote time and attention to properly understanding the customer, organization and employees. Everything starts with a clear picture of where you want to go as an organization and why. We help you clarify your vision and help turn this vision into a clear strategy. With attention to the team, of course. Because a strategy is only as strong as those who wear it. We support you in making a balanced roadmap towards your goal, in other words, a plateau planning. Once all plans have been worked out, we will initiate (and keep) the change in motion. In order to enable your organization to further develop.