THE CHALLENGE
Like many growing organisations, this media company has made sizeable investments in its IT infrastructure and people over the years. And while that’s had some impact on its reporting capabilities, leveraging data for decision-making still felt cumbersome and fragmented.
The organisation recognised there were still plenty of opportunities to improve the way it used data, advanced analytics and AI to drive commercial success. However, with IT teams bogged down by BAU workloads and a backlog of enterprise systems projects, it approached Datamine to help develop a data strategy. The goals? Discovering opportunities to use advanced analytics in a repeatable and scalable way, building internal capability and confidence, and leveraging AI to align with the company’s goals.
THE SOLUTION
In response to these challenges, Datamine engaged with the organisation’s senior leadership to agree on target outcomes. This collaboration focused on marrying commercial goals with internal capabilities and the company’s overarching business strategy. Through this process, we helped the organisation establish key goals and assess the potential for advanced analytics and AI integration.
We identified three ‘catalyst projects’ that would deliver immediate commercial value. These projects were scoped through Solution Design workshops, where we clarified each project’s value and priority level. We also dug into the root causes of previous barriers and frustrations to ensure that the data strategy – and resulting activities – aligned with real-world operational needs.
We worked hand-in-hand with internal teams, building the robust platforms, processes and governance structures required to do two things – deliver a result and establish internal capabilities and processes so the business can ‘rinse and repeat’ future projects. The teams focused on six essential workstreams that, together, provide the foundation for the advanced analytics journey – building the pipeline of opportunities and potential projects, prioritising them, and developing a framework that delivers consistently good work and acceleration.
Additionally, we partnered with AugmentX, a data and analytics recruitment agency, to recruit specialised talent who bridged the gaps in the organisation’s internal teams. This ensured that it had the right expertise to drive analytics initiatives.
The results
This client successfully delivered its first catalyst project, which built momentum and restored confidence in the organisation’s ability to deploy advanced analytics effectively. This early success demonstrated to stakeholders that data-driven decision-making was achievable – and could lead to substantial commercial benefits.
The business achieved a better balance between its operational capabilities (how it identifies, sizes, and implements opportunities) and the technical aspects (the design and delivery of solutions). This restructuring alleviated previous frustrations, establishing a framework that minimised dependency on specific individuals and fostered a more collaborative culture.
The organisation is now positioned to unlock the full potential of advanced analytics, supported by a clear governance framework. With a comprehensive understanding of the role of advanced analytics within its operations, the company can tap into value beyond mere individual productivity gains – and focus on solving big problems that have an impact from an enterprise level down.
As a direct result of these initiatives, the company is now looking to expand its advanced analytics capabilities even further. With a proven framework, it’s poised to explore more ambitious AI projects, confidently leveraging data to drive strategic decisions and enhance overall business performance.