Data literacy is a key enabler of the value and impact from data. How are you approaching this within your organisation?
We consider data literacy across two different groups:
- Unlocking the full potential of our data and analytical community to deliver tangible impact and value;
- Providing business stakeholders with the relevant tools and know-how to embed data into their day-to-day decisioning making.
To really unlock the value from our data teams, we have worked hard to build a data community that brings together over 300 colleagues involved in data and analytics from right across the organisation. Across the community we have introduced several initiatives:
- Skills days. Dedicated time for the team to focus on their own development, be it building technical expertise or working on those all-important softer skills such as data storytelling and influencing;
- Spark talks to share methodologies, ideas, and inspiration from across the breadth of the business, bringing together data and business fluency;
- Career pathways and competency frameworks to drive mobility of data talent across the organisation.
For our broader business stakeholders, we have focused on democratising our data through our Sainsbury’s insight platform. The platform enables any business user to interrogate our rich data through a simple and intuitive interface, removing the need to engage analysts for all but the most complex questions. The result drives data into more decision-making processes and at greater pace.
We have coupled this with an organisation wide training programme, assured by City & Guilds, to upskill and give confidence to all business stakeholders on the fundamentals of data, how to apply it to their roles and some of the common pitfalls to avoid. This course has now been delivered across all our leadership teams and is a key module within a colleague’s learning objectives.