Include Citizen Data Scientists in Your Continuous Improvement Program and Make it Happen!

Achieve Continuous Improvement with Citizen Data Scientists

If you have spent any time in the world of business, you have heard the term, ‘continuous improvement.’ As the name suggests, Continuous Improvement is meant to be ongoing. When an enterprise institutes a continuous improvement process, it does so with the intention of improving products, services, process efficiency and overall effectiveness, in order to improve and sustain competition. Some of these changes will create breakthrough improvements and some will be small, incremental changes, but all are meant to keep the business on track and moving in the right direction.

‘A Continuous Improvement program can and should include a Citizen Data Scientist initiative.’

When we consider the implementation of a Citizen Data Scientist initiative, we typically do so to improve the business and the effectiveness of its team members. Gartner defines a citizen data scientist as ‘a person who creates or generates models that leverage predictive or prescriptive analytics, but whose primary job function is outside of the field of statistics and analytics.’ This evolution is having such a profound impact on business that Gartner predicts, ‘The number of Citizen Data Scientists will grow five times faster than the number of Data Scientists.’

When the business takes this type of initiative to heart, it must support the change in the role of team members by looking at business processes, approval processes, communication and collaboration, access and availability of augmented analytics and technology and all other cultural and technical aspects of a team member role.

If the Citizen Data Scientist initiative is implemented correctly, it will naturally and organically contribute to continuous improvement. As employees access and analyze data, share data and collaborate on product pricing, customer service, training requirements, production schedules, equipment maintenance needs, sales and marketing programs and other aspects of the business, they are using data and fact-based decision-making to constantly evaluate and improve outcomes. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) used by Citizen Data Scientists set measurable goals and allow team members to understand what is working and where the challenges and the root cause of problems lie, and to make improvements in those areas. Equally importantly, the access to this data and to collaborative business processes and decision support allows team members to quickly recognize and adapt to opportunities, so the work environment is more agile and nimble.

Citizen Data Scientists Engender Continuous Improvement

Here are just a few of the benefits the enterprise will achieve with a Citizen Data Scientist initiative. As you review these benefits, it is easy to see how these benefits can be applied directly toward continuous improvement.

  • Ensures Timely and Accurate Decision-Making to Improve Business Responsiveness
  • Creates a Direct Tie to Business Objectives and Measurable Results
  • Provides Tools for Quick Hypothesis and Prototyping to Avoid Delays and Expensive Missteps
  • Supports Day-to-Day Business Decisions to Keep the Business on Track
  • Provides Crucial Insight and Perspective
  • Produces Analytical Models that are Useful for Ongoing Analysis
  • Improves Business Agility and Efficiency
  • Aligns Business Objectives and Goals Across the Enterprise

‘If the Citizen Data Scientist initiative is implemented correctly, it will naturally and organically contribute to continuous improvement.’

A Continuous Improvement program can and should include a Citizen Data Scientist initiative. The business team is the heart and soul of the organization, carrying goals and objectives forward and holding the tools of business in their hands. If you give them the right tools and support them with the right management practices and technology, you can achieve continuous improvement and, in so doing, improve the value of each team member and the forward momentum of your competitive positioning.

Transforming business users into Citizen Data Scientists, provides advantages to the organization, to the business users and to data scientists. Today, businesses can explore a FREE Online Citizen Data Scientist course, and the right augmented analytics solution, and organizational planning, to build a solid foundation and business user confidence. The business should also consider engaging an IT consulting partner with knowledge of the augmented analytics market, and a solution and support services to provide the guidance and Products And Services your business will need to succeed.

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