By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
  • Analytics
    AnalyticsShow More
    football analytics
    The Role of Data Analytics in Football Performance
    9 Min Read
    data Analytics instagram stories
    Data Analytics Helps Marketers Make the Most of Instagram Stories
    15 Min Read
    analyst,women,looking,at,kpi,data,on,computer,screen
    What to Know Before Recruiting an Analyst to Handle Company Data
    6 Min Read
    AI analytics
    AI-Based Analytics Are Changing the Future of Credit Cards
    6 Min Read
    data overload showing data analytics
    How Does Next-Gen SIEM Prevent Data Overload For Security Analysts?
    8 Min Read
  • Big Data
  • BI
  • Exclusive
  • IT
  • Marketing
  • Software
Search
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Dummy Deadlines and Transparency
Share
Notification Show More
Aa
SmartData CollectiveSmartData Collective
Aa
Search
  • About
  • Help
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
SmartData Collective > Inside Companies > Dummy Deadlines and Transparency
Inside Companies

Dummy Deadlines and Transparency

MIKE20
Last updated: 2010/12/13 at 10:31 AM
MIKE20
5 Min Read
SHARE

Contents
Dummy DeadlinesSimon SaysTransparencyFeedback

As I wrap up a consulting engagement with a heavy data management bent, I’d like to impart a few lessons learned. Despite a tight deadline, change management issues, and data of a very interesting and inconsistent nature, I am leaving my current client satisfied. While this post offers no guarantees, it outlines two tips to improve the odds of success on data management projects.

More Read

Want Magic? Spill the Secrets of Your Black Box

Do Customers REALLY Want to Know What’s Inside the Black Box?
Supply Chain Traceability – What’s in Your T-Shirt?
Using Transparency As A Mask
The Social Customer Bill of Rights

As I wrap up a consulting engagement with a heavy data management bent, I’d like to impart a few lessons learned. Despite a tight deadline, change management issues, and data of a very interesting and inconsistent nature, I am leaving my current client satisfied. While this post offers no guarantees, it outlines two tips to improve the odds of success on data management projects.

Dummy Deadlines

This is one of my favorite tips. (Any time that I am calling the shots, I always build in a few days because “life happens”, as a friend of mine told me once. If I need something by Friday, I try to get it by Wednesday. I always assume that it will take longer for me to transform data than it probably will for one simple reason: I don’t know what I’m going to get, much less how I am going to get it.

For my past client, my manager told me that the financial data coming the different transactional systems was golden. That is, I should expect no problems. Want to guess if that happened? Of course it wasn’t perfect. By identifying the problems and sending the file back, I gave my client time to review its own systems and processes. Ultimately, when I did get back the good file a few days later, I was still able to hit my initial deadline. This isn’t exactly magic, but it’s a neat little trick.

Simon Says

Simplicity is a wonderful thing. Be careful when you announce the deadlines; we consultants are not calling the shots. In the end, there’s only so much I can do. Dummy deadlines aren’t an exilir. However, they can be tremendously helpful.

Transparency

Many consultants attempt to foster dependency, making their clients call them for the slightest of modifications or questions. Reputable folks try to make themselves expendable. Of course, there’s no way that I can teach an eager–but novice–individual all that I know about manipulating data. Consequently, there’s a chasm between what I know and what I have successfully taught my client. That gap typically shrinks from the time that I arrive and the time that I leave, but trust me: it still exists.

The question becomes: How do I teach my client how to fish without starving to death–and having to call me to bait a hook?

The answer: transparency. By teaching my client what I am doing to make modifications and manipulate data, I am really accomplishing two critical things:

  • I am transferring knowledge. This is usually a good thing.
  • More important, I am letting him/her get under the hood with me. With a new appreciation for the complexity of the tool, my client will resist efforts of higher ups to make ostensibly simple changes. This will preserve the integrity of the data and the tool.

Now, plenty of people take a Just Do It mentality. They don’t want to know how something works, thank you. This is fine. However, those same folks who don’t want to get their hands dirty invariably wind up calling me after the project is “finished.” Should my schedule allow, I am more than happy to do the work. But what happens if that’s not the case? What about budgets?

Take the time to work with others and at least understand the basics of the tools that they create. You might just learn what to do–and how not to break it.

Feedback

What say you?

TAGGED: transparency
MIKE20 December 13, 2010
Share This Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn
Share

Follow us on Facebook

Latest News

Shutterstock Licensed Photo - 1051059293 | Rawpixel.com
QR Codes Leverage the Benefits of Big Data in Education
Big Data
football analytics
The Role of Data Analytics in Football Performance
Analytics Big Data Exclusive
smart home data
7 Mind-Blowing Ways Smart Homes Use Data to Save Your Money
Big Data
ai low code frameworks
AI Can Help Accelerate Development with Low-Code Frameworks
Artificial Intelligence

Stay Connected

1.2k Followers Like
33.7k Followers Follow
222 Followers Pin

You Might also Like

Want Magic? Spill the Secrets of Your Black Box

4 Min Read

Do Customers REALLY Want to Know What’s Inside the Black Box?

4 Min Read

Supply Chain Traceability – What’s in Your T-Shirt?

5 Min Read

Using Transparency As A Mask

4 Min Read

SmartData Collective is one of the largest & trusted community covering technical content about Big Data, BI, Cloud, Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, IoT & more.

giveaway chatbots
How To Get An Award Winning Giveaway Bot
Big Data Chatbots Exclusive
AI and chatbots
Chatbots and SEO: How Can Chatbots Improve Your SEO Ranking?
Artificial Intelligence Chatbots Exclusive

Quick Link

  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Follow US
© 2008-23 SmartData Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Go to mobile version
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?