There have been many thoughts compiled from the DataIQ community on why businesses should start a data academy, the best way to start it, the key components, challenges faced and approaches to measuring success.
Step 1: The trigger points for the data academy programme
For many organisations the trigger point may well be the need for a broader enterprise-wide transformation strategy, which may comprise objectives such as:
- Digital awareness and enablement: To make the entire workforce more digitally aware and equipped to navigate the evolving digital landscape.
- Democratise data: To make data accessible to all employees, ensuring that it is not just the domain of data specialists.
- Building a digital culture: To create a digital culture within the organisation as a key driver of innovation across the company.
- Upskilling: By receiving training and knowledge through the programme, team members across organisations will be capable leveraging digital tools and technologies effectively.
Step 2: Leadership support
The trigger for the programme should have been discussed at senior level within the company. As with all transformation initiatives, senior level sponsorship is key. It is beneficial if the sponsorship comes from the budget holder so as to ensure there is a focus on the return on investment (ROI).
Securing sponsorship from more than one senior leader can help with unblocking challenges and, in the case of data and digital academies, having the HR director on board as a co-sponsor as well as either the marketing, technology or data lead is invaluable. It should be possible to push the budget out to the local units rather than holding it centrally in HR, which is often where learning and development budgets typically reside.
Step 3: Selecting the right tools
Often an organisation will have a learning management system (LMS) which may be suitable for providing users with the right experience, but it is important this platform can support all the various outcomes needed for a data academy. For example, ensuring the platform supports audio and video as well as the engagement data necessary to measure success. If looking at external content (See Step 4) then it is important this can be delivered over the LMS.
Step 4: Collaboration with external partners
Most organisations will not have the resources or the competences to develop the content inhouse, so it is important to leverage external partners to create and deliver content. The organisation should focus resources on using subject matter experts to define the skills framework which external content providers can deliver against.
Step 5: Where to start – pilot first
If the programme is aiming to target the entire enterprise (or at least those that work with data/computers) then it should start by targeting a specific group of employees with the goal of having a certain number of employees enrolled in the programme by a set date. This will enable the data leader to gather feedback and refine the programme. Consider designing learning pathways categorised as foundation, intermediate and advanced for all employees. These should vary depending on where they are in their understanding of data, with the ultimate goal to ensure that everyone reaches at least the foundation level of digital proficiency.
Start with foundational content and gradually introduce more complex topics. Expect the programme for non-data specialists to take up to two years to complete and work with subject matter experts to compile relevant content.
Different target groups should be segmented to cater to the diverse needs of team members, creating distinct learning pathways for non-specialists and data specialists and ensuring the content is relevant and aligned with the skill sets and objectives of each group.
Step 6: The importance of a few evangelists
Any data specialists within the team should be a part of the advance party.
Consider starting a data literacy programme covering soft skills such as storytelling, business partnering, facilitating action, data visualisation and presentation skills – this can offer act as a precursor to the more comprehensive data or digital academy.
For the specialist team consider a more advanced menu-based journey allowing selection of what initiatives are needed to enhance careers. Typically, this might include:
- Online courses
- External training
- Participation in conferences
- Guilds focused on specialised areas
- Accreditation and qualifications
- Regular events such as group learning
- Hackathons
Step 7: Investment, ROI, and success metrics
These data academy programmes come with a steep financial consideration, but so does getting left behind in the race to become more digitally enabled and the overall benefits that follow. The most significant expenses can often be found regarding the content licensing and the LMS. As mentioned in Step 2, having a member of the financial leadership team on board can help with the justification of these expenses.
It is important to have a view on what constitutes success. Measuring the success of the programme should be an ongoing process, using indicators such as:
- Tracking participation through the chosen learning experience platform
- Enrolment numbers
- Active user participation, engagement levels and social interactions within the programme
- Completion rates
Step 8: Overcoming roadblocks
There will be challenges and obstacles to overcome with a data academy. Our DataIQ leaders’ community advise:
- Engage IT early: It is crucial to engage the IT department early in the process to ensure that technical aspects align with the programme’s requirements.
- Adopt a campaign-led approach: Implementing a marketing-style campaign with continuous communication is vital to maintain engagement and enthusiasm among participants.
- Anticipate system glitches: Technical issues can disrupt the data academy flow. It is essential to address such glitches, such as invitation emails going into spam promptly to minimise disruptions.
- Contextualise content: Providing context and relevance to the content helps participants see its real-world applications.
- Bespoke content: In many instances, creating bespoke content pieces that delve into the world of data can be incredibly helpful.
The journey to establish a data academy has rapidly become a key element of many companies’ transformation initiatives. It is important to consider aspects such as the trigger points, conducting pilot phases, garnering leadership support, segmenting the programme and learning from challenges to ensure maximum early engagement.
Success is an ongoing journey and the commitment to measuring progress and adapting to evolving needs is critical to ensure any programme’s long-term success.
