The people that deliver a successful data project

In our final extract from November’s dataZED Get Together with Change Management expert, David Cowan, we look at the people skills that we are looking for, and how to find them.

If you are a new reader, then I’d encourage you to catch up the last two newsletters.

• In part one, we explained how to create a compelling business case to gain the support that you need from a sponsor with authority; and

• In part two, we considered elements such as storytelling, articulating financial benefits, incremental delivery and emotional intelligence.

Project teams can be assembled in one or more of the following ways:

• The regular BAU team

• Specific change or project management experts brought in to support the team

• Consultancy firms and individual contractors

• Implementation and Customer Success people from your tooling vendor or systems integrator

Wherever the team comes from, the person responsible for the success of the activity has to build it and blend it for the required purpose.

Balancing Technical Skills and Communication

• Don’t solely focus on technical brilliance in hiring. There is a need for effective communication and stakeholder management skills.

• The skills required for influencing senior stakeholders differ from those needed for detailed technical discussions. and it’s a common issue that technically brilliant individuals struggle with presentation and communication.

• This does not mean that you shouldn’t bring in that technical person. You may be able to develop their skills or complement them in the team with strong communicators.

Using interviews effectively

• Contractors expect a minimal number of interviews or tests in the recruitment process, given the limited duration of the assignment. Consequently, interviewers need to find out the most important information in minimal time.

• Ask specific and relevant questions during the interview. We don’t want a generic overview, we know what project we want to deliver and it’s the skills for that project that we need to identify.

• Interviewers should stretch the candidates beyond their stock answers by asking follow-up questions. By probing deeper, it will reveal actual experiences and problem-solving approaches.

After the interview

• Score candidates based on their responses to assess their suitability. Some firms have developed a template where responses are graded, and then the total score considered. This helps to mitigate bias. An additional benefit is that each interviewer can score privately, making it easier (for example) for someone more junior to disagree with a senior leader.

• After the interview, leverage your network to gain more insights into potential hires. You’re not looking for a simple “good or not good”; rather you want to know if they will advance the project.

Interested in chatting through these principles a little further? Why not book a discovery call?

dataZED grows through referrals! Whether it’s by sharing this newsletter, pointing people my way for advice, or introducing dataZED to a client, please help me get the word out about our services.

Have a wonderful week,
Charles

Don’t forget!

1. The next dataZED Get Together is on 10 January. Click here to sign up

2. dataZED of Data Events calendar. Share an event and View the calendar

3. Event and other sponsorships. I’ve created a sponsor pack about the ways that dataZED can work with you to advertise your business or collaborate on an event. Message me for a copy.

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