What does an organizational data strategy look like?

Re: What does an organizational data strategy look like?

by Adam Weisblatt -
Number of replies: 0
I'm not surprised at the lack of data strategies. This is the same issue that has been a thread going through the Critique of Analytics discussion: People don't know what problem they are trying to solve with data. Without that insight, I don't think a strategy is possible.

Here are the components that I think should be part of a Data Strategy:

What problem are you trying to solve?

Who owns the problem (what stakeholders have the most vested interest in the solution?)

How much money, time and resources are the owners of the problem willing to invest in the solution?

What would a successful implementation of Learning Analytics look like in relation to the problem?

Where is the data generated? Is it inherent in the natural activity of people, or does it need to be generated by new activities?

What needs to be set up ahead of time to make the needed data available at the back end? How do those steps need to be integrated with the development plan of the program?

What tools/methodologies will be used to collect/store/retrieve and analyze the data?

Who is the target audience for the analysis? What format do they need to be able to access the analysis?


As for who should be involved, I would think anyone who is capable of doing the above. Most importantly someone with an in-depth understanding of the desired outcomes and the ability to communicate that understanding to the other stakeholders.