Data Strategy Guidance: Conducting Stakeholder Interviews

Data is everywhere, and organizations are producing and collecting vast amounts of it every day. However, turning this data into valuable insights can be a daunting task without a clear understanding of data consumption practices and stakeholder goals. A well-defined data strategy can help organizations unlock the full potential of their data, enabling them to make better decisions, improve customer experiences, and increase profitability.

In this edition, we will provide a guide on how to conduct stakeholder interviews to uncover data needs and goals.

This template is designed to help you understand your organization's current data consumption practices and uncover stakeholder goals and visions around data availability, usage, and value. With its structured questions and framework, you can easily frame discussions with business stakeholders and define the data needs related to critical business assets.

However, this template is only a guide. You can revise and add questions based on your scope and the stakeholders being interviewed. With this template in hand, you can unlock the power of your organization's data and make informed decisions that drive business success.

Overview:

The primary objective of these interviews is to understand the organization's current data-related issues and identify goals and objectives for data usage. The interviewer needs to understand where individuals see data supporting the organization's strategic plans and the performance of their respective teams and departments.

What you are looking to get from each interview:?

1.?Current challenges related to data access and usage.

2.?An understanding of the current and future role of data in team/department processes and decision making

3.?A vision for how the individual/area is looking to leverage data:

• Questions they want to answer by using data.
• Reports and insights they want to see and have at their fingertips.
• New/enhanced data use cases they want to have in the future.

Interview:

Introduction:

Begin by establishing a stakeholder profile and having them walk through their current roles at the organization, highlighting the key responsibilities they have. For every interview, document the stakeholder's name, title or position, and department or line of business.

Stage 1: Scoping and Preliminary Analysis:

• What data is most important to your job responsibilities?
• What data do you find is most important to the current operations of your team/department?
• What are the strategic plans of your team/department?

Stage 2: Requirements Gathering and Data Strategy Planning:

• What barriers and issues do you find most frustrating and common as you look to use data in your team/department?
• What is one thing you cannot do with the data you access today that you would like to be able to do?
• Where do you see data supporting the strategic plans and objectives you outlined earlier?
• Ignoring the issues and impediments of today, how do you envision ideal data access and usage by your team/department?

Stage 3: Wrap-Up:

• Based on the opportunities and data needs uncovered, can you think of any specific barriers or challenges that we should be aware of as we proceed?
• On the brighter side, as an organization, we must be doing something well. From your experience, can you think of any internal enablers, such as things that historically we have done well, assets we currently have (our people, skill sets, etc.), and other ongoing initiatives, that might serve as advantages as we proceed?
• Is there anyone else you think I should be speaking to, whether for additional, complementary, or net new context?
• Is there anything that you would like to expand on or clarify?

Template: Business Context for Supporting the Organization's Data Strategy

The following section provides an example of how to apply the above framework to support the organization's data strategy. The sample includes a stakeholder profile, business strategy, objectives, desired benefits, key objectives, desired outcomes, related data, and key usages of the data.

Conclusion:

Use this template to support understanding the current data consumption practices of the organization and uncovering stakeholder goals and vision around the availability, usage, and value of data to roles, responsibilities, and their plans for their departments. Use the structure and questions within this template to help you frame your discussion with business stakeholders and support your team in defining the data needs related to critical business assets. Do remember that these questions are meant to be a guide and are designed to stimulate and facilitate discussion, so revise and/or add questions based on your scope and the stakeholders being interviewed.?