Task 5: Contemporary technology responses - Personal Decision Making Tools

This week’s focus was on big data, a subject I am learning a lot more about since joining a new organisation were I am required to use a number of databases that hold information about different streams of service delivery including employment services, early learning centers and community programs. I regularly draw reports from these systems and also check data “dash boards” on a daily basis to monitor expenditure and outcomes.  We also have a database that links all the other service databases, as well as customer/ stakeholder feedback and program analysis. This provides managers with information about budget, staffing, program quality etc. across the whole organization and can be used for reporting on overall performance and planning for the organizations future projects. 

I was therefore very interested in Viaene and Van Den Bunder (2011) article The Secrets to Managing Business Analytics Projects as I am a manager who needs to work with other managers from different fields within the organization to help me set up systems for capturing and utilizing big data for future programs.  The article presented a number of qualities that successful project managers have shown when coordinating analytics projects.  I was heartened to see I have some of the qualities like a ‘delivery bias towards execution’ a characteristic that often frustrates some of my team who want time to consider implementation strategies.

Other desirable characteristics included valuing continual learning; working to gain commitment; intelligently experimenting; and promoting the use of information technology.  One of the most important pieces of learning I took from the readings and lectures was the need for partnerships between operations and IT.  This is a key point especially for the not for profit sector, as many operations staff are social science specialists and have limited understanding of ways of utilizing information technology or collecting and using statistics.  Also, both operations and IT staff have little contact with each other especially when developing and implementing new community services.  I have already started to act on this piece of learning by discussing with our IT Manager how her staff can assist me when considering how new services will fit and operate within our existing structures and how to produce and capture the information I will be required to provide to internal upper management and external funders.

This week’s class focused on utilizing the learning’s from the lectures and readings by applying them to a case study set in the retail sector.  To prepare for this class I did some research and found these three sites very useful in discussing how ‘big data’ is changing the way retailers approach their business and the specific ways they are utilizing the data.

http://www.economistinsights.com/sites/default/files/The_Data_Storm_Web_1.pdf

http://www.deloitte.com/view/en_US/us/Services/additional-services/deloitte-analytics-service/358a7e1b566a2310VgnVCM1000001a56f

http://www.zdnet.com/five-big-data-trends-revolutionizing-retail-7000019510/

I already knew a bit about customer profiling and how retailers were using big data to enhance loyalty programs.  These readings also provided further interesting insights in how retailers are using data gained from a number of selling ‘channels’ to capture customers across all points of sale.  Data is also being used to develop systems that source raw materials across the world at the cheapest prices.  With a huge amount of information pouring into these ‘data warehouses’, cheapest options are changing as little as every ten minutes and the system also allows for forecasting and planning purchasing.  Data analytics are also being used to detect fraud and shrink margins in a challenging retail environment.

I brought this knowledge to class and was able to present it to my working group when we were addressing the case study questions.  I really enjoyed this class, as it was useful to share ideas about ways to approach the case study challenge.  It was interesting to see how others approached the questions.  My group took quite a ‘macro’ approach and looked at how data analytics could be introduced across a whole organization.  When we changed groups, I learnt others had focused on specific retail examples and addressed the questions this way.  Through discussion, I have gained a better understanding of the challenges of introducing data analytic systems to an organization, the key points for me being:

• ·           They are expensive and require specific infrastructure and expertise.
• ·           They need buy in from all managers throughout the organization.
• ·      Different levels of the organization will have different focuses ie the CEO will want data to achieve different things than an IT Manager.
• ·      You need to be flexible and change to the needs of the organization and individual stakeholders.

In conclusion, this was an enjoyable class because everyone took part and we worked together to address the questions and consider the challenges facing organizations that wish to utilize data analytics and carry out big data projects.