Ways of working

Purpose, Vision & Pride

Whether building a new team or function from scratch (maybe it’s just you!) or scaling up a team, intentionally defining your purpose is a great way to get clarity on what’s important, which will help enormously with future prioritising. Crafting a purpose statement is well worth working in a group to do, perhaps even withContinue reading “Purpose, Vision & Pride”

Scaling teams part 4: Document management

Here we continue the series exploring what’s needed to scale analytics and insight teams (parts one and two, and three here). What type of flow are we looking at?All of them… Flows from stakeholders to the team Flows from the team to stakeholders Flows between multiple stakeholders Flows between analysts within the team Flows between analysts and other collaboratorsContinue reading “Scaling teams part 4: Document management”

Diverge & Converge – Finding Balance

Whether it’s unpicking the prickliest of thorny data problems or designing engaging and informative data visualisations, there is the need to use both divergent and convergent thinking. As an analyst, I know I use both and I believe that data analysis and insight work lends itself strongly to the design thinking ‘double diamond’ model (twoContinue reading “Diverge & Converge – Finding Balance”

Scaling teams part 3: Request and response

Here we continue the series exploring what’s needed to scale analytics and insight teams (parts one and two here). In this post we’re looking at the request funnel – the ways in which the team receives, and responds to, requests from stakeholders. What type of flow are we looking at? Flows from stakeholders to theContinue reading “Scaling teams part 3: Request and response”

Scaling teams Part 2: Kanban

In part 1 we established the areas of flow to consider when improving and scaling analytics teams (items in bold we cover in this post): Flows from stakeholders to the team Flows from the team to stakeholders Flows between multiple stakeholders Flows between analysts within the team Flows between analysts and other collaborators outside theContinue reading “Scaling teams Part 2: Kanban”

Scaling teams Part 1: Flow

I’ve just started a contract to head up a Data & Insight team with the goal of scaling from two team analysts up to six in the next six months. Naturally, my mind has been buzzing with ideas about what key things are needed to achieve successful scaling. The team has been both stretched andContinue reading “Scaling teams Part 1: Flow”

Painting pictures with data: Emma’s year of adventure.

How’s this for a year’s project? THE RULES: Do something new each day Do it with someone else Document it Pretty daunting, huh? That’s why I’m not doing it. But Emma Lawton is. That’s incredible. What’s more incredible is that in 2013 at the age of 29, Emma was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. And, likeContinue reading “Painting pictures with data: Emma’s year of adventure.”

Why ‘I don’t have time’ is a lie to yourself and others

At work, time poverty is a lie, an illusion. In a company where everyone works the same hours a week, time is cancelled out as a factor in the productivity equation. Time doesn’t exist. So what truths does that leave? ‘I don’t know what I’m trying to achieve’ Sounds simple, but your goals and objectivesContinue reading “Why ‘I don’t have time’ is a lie to yourself and others”