These days, it seems that every conference I attend, there is a discussion about Citizen Data Scientists. For some of my colleagues, the discussion seems irrelevant or, in some cases, daunting. If you are hesitant to embrace this type of initiative in your business, here are a few Gartner predictions that might convince you to at least consider this crucial shift in business culture and data literacy.
The use of business intelligence and business analytics is growing in every industry, business function and in companies of every size. 48% of small and medium sized business CIOs responding to a Gartner survey revealed that business intelligence (BI), data and analytics is one of the technology areas that will have the largest amount of new or additional spending.
When you take on the mantle of Citizen Data Scientist, there is a lot to process! Much of the reason business users feel overwhelmed at the idea of the Citizen Data Scientist role is the anticipation of having to learn new tools and techniques to analyze data.
If your business has embraced the concept of Digital Transformation (Dx) and Data Literacy, it must plan for these initiatives in order to ensure that they are successful. The best way to achieve Dx and data literacy is to establish a technology environment that will support and encourage constant change and optimize resources and creativity – all in the service of supporting business goals and objectives.
Gartner has placed an increased focus on augmented analytics and solutions that support data democratization and business user transformation to the Citizen Data Scientist role. It predicts that those organizations that engage in Citizen Data Scientist initiatives will outperform businesses that do not take this approach and they will be more competitive and better prepared, by increasing productivity, optimizing resources and making better decisions. As your business competitors embrace this evolution, your organization must seriously commit to the Citizen Data Scientist concept and to the Augmented Analytics solution approach that will support the Citizen Data Scientist.
When a business takes on the task of transforming business users to Citizen Data Scientists, they might have very clear goals mind but they may not have a firm grasp on what the role means or how to provide the business user with an understanding of what the role will be (what it will not be) and how it will change their day-to-day work.
There are a lot of business intelligence and analytical tools on the market today and if your business has recognized the need to implement this type of solution for self-serve analytics among business users, it is important to understand the advantages of augmented analytics. Advanced analytics benefits are numerous but, when a business chooses augmented analytics tools, it can ensure that its business users have full access to analytical features and sophisticated techniques without having to learn complex systems and without having to acquire data scientist skills. That ease-of-use takes advanced analytics advantages to the next level by democratizing use and allowing for digital transformation and increased data literacy across the enterprise.
As a newly minted Citizen Data Scientist, you may feel overwhelmed and uncertain how to proceed. As with any other transition and new responsibility, the first order of business is to understand what is expected of you and what the boundaries and obligations of your new responsibilities will dictate. It is also important to learn how to use any new tools that may be important to your new role.
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