Building Analytics Teams: Harnessing analytics and artificial intelligence for business improvement

John K. Thompson · Douglas B. Laney

Jun 2020 · Packt Publishing Ltd

About this eBook

Master the skills necessary to hire and manage a team of highly skilled individuals to design, build, and implement applications and systems based on advanced analytics and AIKey FeaturesLearn to create an operationally effective advanced analytics team in a corporate environmentSelect and undertake projects that have a high probability of success and deliver the improved top and bottom-line resultsUnderstand how to create relationships with executives, senior managers, peers, and subject matter experts that lead to team collaboration, increased funding, and long-term success for you and your teamBook Description

In Building Analytics Teams, John K. Thompson, with his 30+ years of experience and expertise, illustrates the fundamental concepts of building and managing a high-performance analytics team, including what to do, who to hire, projects to undertake, and what to avoid in the journey of building an analytically sound team. The core processes in creating an effective analytics team and the importance of the business decision-making life cycle are explored to help achieve initial and sustainable success.

The book demonstrates the various traits of a successful and high-performing analytics team and then delineates the path to achieve this with insights on the mindset, advanced analytics models, and predictions based on data analytics. It also emphasizes the significance of the macro and micro processes required to evolve in response to rapidly changing business needs.

The book dives into the methods and practices of managing, developing, and leading an analytics team. Once you've brought the team up to speed, the book explains how to govern executive expectations and select winning projects.

By the end of this book, you will have acquired the knowledge to create an effective business analytics team and develop a production environment that delivers ongoing operational improvements for your organization.

What you will learnAvoid organizational and technological pitfalls of moving from a defined project to a production environmentEnable team members to focus on higher-value work and tasksBuild Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence (AA&AI) functions in an organizationOutsource certain projects to competent and capable third partiesSupport the operational areas that intend to invest in business intelligence, descriptive statistics, and small-scale predictive analyticsAnalyze the operational area, the processes, the data, and the organizational resistanceWho this book is for

This book is for senior executives, senior and junior managers, and those who are working as part of a team that is accountable for designing, building, delivering and ensuring business success through advanced analytics and artificial intelligence systems and applications. At least 5 to 10 years of experience in driving your organization to a higher level of efficiency will be helpful.

Ratings and reviews

I am glad I came across this inspiring and well-written book. The author was able to pull together a comprehensive review of best practices related to the design and the ongoing management of analytics organizations. The two highlights of the book have been for me: - the clear explanation of the available options for an analytics team structure, based on the comparison of the two extremes of the continuum, the Artisanal and the Factory types; - the availability of practical insights and tips which cover also the human and emotional complexities that the manager of an analytics organization always has to manage. I look forward to reading more books by John Thompson on this subject!

About the author

John K. Thompson is an international technology executive with over 30 years of experience in the business intelligence and advanced analytics fields. Currently, John is responsible for the global Advanced Analytics and Artificial Intelligence team and efforts at CSL Behring. Prior to CSL, John was an Executive Partner at Gartner, where he was a management consultant for market-leading companies in the areas of digital transformation, data monetization, and advanced analytics. Before Gartner, John was responsible for the advanced analytics business unit of the Dell Software Group. John is co-author of the bestselling book Analytics: How to Win with Intelligence, which debuted on Amazon as the #1 new book in Analytics in 2017. Analytics: How to Win with Intelligence is a book that guides non-technical executives through the journey of building an analytics team, funding initiatives, and driving change in business operations through data and applied analytical applications.