Speakers

Steve Brodrick
Alteryx Chief Transformation Officer

For Business

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Analytics Nirvana? Understanding Analytics Maturity and ROI

March 2023

Summary

Improving analytics maturity and its return on investment (ROI) is a key focus for businesses prioritizing analytics spending. Many companies see the necessity to enhance their analytics maturity, with most assessing themselves as slightly above two out of five. Steve Broderick, the Chief Transformation Officer at Alteryx, discusses the different stages of analytics maturity and how businesses can progress through them. One main focus is creating a data-driven culture and enhancing cooperation and implementation around automation analytics to generate value. Steve also talks about aligning use cases with business value, emphasizing the significance of understanding the environment we operate in, and the implications for those working in data analytics solutioning. He presents a framework for considering analytics maturity, highlighting the need to balance various factors, including data quality, organizational dynamics, and technology use.

Key Takeaways:

Companies need to improve their analytics maturity, which currently averages at a 2.2 out of 5.
Effective data integration and automation can significantly enhance decision-making speed and quality.
Organizations should focus on cooperation and building a data-driven culture.
Management and accessibility of data are important for improving analytics maturity.
Providing more individuals with data access and tools can generate considerable business value.

Deep Dives

Understanding Analytics Maturity

Analytics maturity is a vital factor in utilizing data for business success. Organizations often find themselves at the start of the analyt ...
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ics maturity spectrum, with an average score of just over two out of five. This indicates considerable room for improvement and opportunity for value creation. The process involves moving from basic analytics capability to a stage where analytics become a competitive advantage. As Steve Broderick explains, "To go from a desire to become more data-driven to actually becoming more data-driven, every company stops through these areas." Companies must address issues such as data quality, accessibility, and the skills gap to progress. The stages of maturity range from beginner to advanced, with advanced companies using data to drive growth and outperform their peers significantly.

Building a Data-Driven Culture

Establishing a data-driven culture is vital for organizations aiming to improve their analytics maturity. This requires organizations to encourage cooperation across teams and provide employees with the necessary tools and data access. Steve Broderick highlights the need for businesses to create a cooperative environment: "If you're somebody who is advancing your skills, helping others learn as well and come up that curve." A data-driven culture not only enhances decision-making capabilities but also helps in scaling analytics across the organization. By building communities of practice and encouraging the sharing of best practices, organizations can utilize collective knowledge to tackle complex challenges effectively.

The Role of Management and Accessibility

Effective management and data accessibility are foundational to advancing analytics maturity. Organizations must find a balance between strong management frameworks and ensuring that data is accessible to those who need it. Steve Broderick emphasizes, "The accessibility and getting more information in people's hands is very important." Management should be suited to the sensitivity of the data and the needs of the organization, ranging from highly regulated environments to more flexible BI solutions. By ensuring that data is both well-managed and accessible, organizations can empower decision-makers and enhance the overall value derived from analytics.

Providing Individuals with Data Access and Tools

Providing individuals across the organization with access to data and the right tools is important for generating value from analytics. Steve Broderick discusses the importance of democratizing data and providing self-service tools to users: "Unlock creativity with self-service." This democratization allows employees at various levels to engage with data, make informed decisions, and contribute to the organization's analytics maturity. By reducing reliance on specialized teams and enabling business users to perform analytics tasks, organizations can accelerate their analytics journey and create a more agile and responsive business environment.