To kick off 2024, DTX hosted the Data Leaders Summit in London on 24th January, gathering top data professionals to share insights on how to harness the power of data in the dawn of AI. Specifically designed for data leaders involved in the planning and execution of their data strategy and transformation, the event explored a variety of front of mind topics to innovate and optimise the latest tools whilst keeping governance and trust paramount.
As the world leans into the opportunities AI brings, one of our leaders proposed the idea of setting up data commandments for your business, with that in mind here’s our top 10 commandments we took away from the day…
Thou shalt go back to basics
You can’t build a house without the right foundations. Although it’s tempting to steamroll ahead to the fun tasks on your list, you need to take your time with those initial building blocks. Data essentials are the key to avoiding costly mistakes further down the line. No matter what the conversation, the need for good quality, governed data embedded in any transformation strategy came up every time. Data leaders need to set the standard and avoid the call of cowboy builders and rogue traders.
Thou shall not lie about AI
When addressing the AI phobia in the room it’s important to educate, together with telling the truth. Empower people as they embark on this transformational journey by providing training and insights on what AI can/can’t do. This will help build trust that a tool, like AI, won’t take people’s jobs whilst emphasising that not embracing it might. Just because you have an ‘AI hammer’, not everything is a nail.
Thou shalt listen to the business
Have you ever stopped to ask what your colleagues want? Unfortunately, not everyone loves data as much as data teams do. By listening to the business and the skills your colleagues need to do their job better (and help them get their bonuses!) you can start building and embedding a data-driven and data-literate culture…that people actually want!
Thou shalt consider the new age of customers
As the world has evolved there is an expectation to have all the answers at the end of our fingertips. What once involved a trip to the library’s encyclopaedia section is now a quick Google search or shout-out to Alexa or Siri. Consumers want things quickly, hyper-personalised and without speaking to someone but also don’t expect this to come via data-sharing. Consider how your business can harness the potential power of AI and ask yourself, what questions are being asked by your consumers so you can give the relevant answers and tie in the domain knowledge.
Thou shalt build a data & AI governance sandbox
Safety should always come first, but it’s important not to dampen the excitement around AI. So how do you create an environment with minimal risk and maximal creativity? Our data leaders recommend you ensure space for safe experimentation by creating a walled garden, a zone where users have the freedom to play around while ensuring IT, data and security guardrails.
Thou shalt understand AI outputs are only as good as the inputs
Seeing as AI is here to stay, it’s time to put data management on the map (instead of it often being perceived by boards as the umbrella for a hefty cost centre). Governance, security and ethics were never considered value drivers but since data is the backbone of AI unlocking value and driving strategic initiatives forward, companies need to ask themselves: what needs to happen to go from good to great (ethical) data? Once you figure this out, you can start feeding this data into your AI to deliver unmatched results.
Thou shalt not expect one person to be a data unicorn
Despite how magical IT teams might appear, they don’t possess superhuman capacity. As databases grow and more data management is needed, business units not only have a responsibility to take ownership of data but should diversify their data team’s roles to alleviate pressure. Without clean data, consolidated databases or a 360 view of insights, significant value is being left on the table. If a business wants to strike gold in the data mine, it’s going to take a team effort.
Thou shalt avoid data swamps
Getting your data right from the start is the easiest way to avoid a data swamp, make sure you are asking questions such as; What data are you bringing in? What do you need and why do you need it? With legacy data it can be hard to avoid so if you’re in too deep and already have a swamp on your hands, start data cleansing and condensing. You need to understand the lineage of data going in, be selective and don’t just add to the pile of sludge. Ultimately when handling your data it comes back to strategy and ownership, hold those responsible for the data accountable.
Thou shalt act like a startup (where possible)
With 3 - 5 year plans increasingly going out the window, data teams need to master the skill of agility and sell like a startup. Be intentional with who is the best person to speak to or what room you need to be in to get maximum return with minimal engagement. Creating your own brand within the business helps highlight chosen values, eliminating stereotypical data team preconceptions. Once this mindset is in place, you can have educated data conversations with executives that focus on how to increase revenue or reduce costs.
Thou shalt scale up with own data commandments
When it comes to scaling up your architecture and bringing solution providers on board, it’s important to create and follow your own company rules of thumb that ring true to your organisation’s values. Creating your own data commandments will help you judge whether a particular partner or solution is the right fit. Here are a few of our leaders’ favourites; Thou shalt not have dirty data, Thou shalt always have an owner, Thou shalt encrypt data, Thou shalt measure its quality.
Be sure to join us at DTX Manchester as we continue the data conversation and check out our full calendar of events here.