Maradene Wills
Strategic Human Analytics
Technology Development
Technology, when done well, can solve a lot of problems. Often it's difficult to articulate what you want to build, but you know what you want to solve. Complicated or unique solutions require a full circle understanding.
I bridge the gap between business and technology. I speak both languages. I can see your vision and break it down into actionable steps.
Approach
Like Money Ball, well-crafted analytics result in payoffs in terms of competitive advantage. As you embark on the analytics journey, I recommend that you build your own technology to support your proprietary anaytical approaches. Technology that is developed to support these analyses ensures that the work is institutionalized and doesn't walk away when a key staff member leaves.
It is critical to invest time with all stakeholders to document their needs and understand how they work. This becomes the playbook to communicate with IT. The upfront work is essential for estimating timelines and costs accurately. It ensures that everyone is in agreement on the end product.
When we are ready to move to development, the input that comes from the IT experts is a vital component of the solution. It is important to not be too prescriptive so as to restrict their creative input. Conversely, when the business side lacks sufficient clarity on their needs or hasn't invested in the upfront scoping, the process can become a bit messy.
A high number of touchpoints in the early stages of development ensures that the project gets off on the right foot. This is critical for IT to build a firm understanding of the business needs, audience, risks, aspirations. We will put in writing our vision and track how it evolves through the discovery process. The document acts as a high-level roadmap for the final product - a visual reference for all stakeholders.