Becoming a Data Head

CHAPTER 14Know the People and Personalities

“People worry that computers will get too smart and take over the world, but the real problem is that they're too stupid and they've already taken over the world.”¹

—Pedro Domingos, AI Researcher

In the previous chapter, you learned about common project pitfalls. In this chapter, we'll talk about the people and perceptions of roles when working with data, and how many projects fail not because of technology or data, but because of conflicting personalities and poor communication.

It's a lack of communication that drives many of the project failures described in this book. Our goal is to help you navigate communication red flags by understanding the different personalities involved. Thus, this chapter discusses the perceptions held by key personalities and shares scenarios about what happens when communication breaks down between data workers and business professionals. Understanding the roles of others and showing empathy will go far in bridging any communication gaps. This is how you become a Data Head.

In the next section, we'll explore more observations about data and business professionals and highlight scenarios when the communication gap kills projects. Then, we'll talk about different attitudes people have toward data—enthusiasm, cynicism, or skepticism.

SEVEN SCENES OF COMMUNICATION BREAKDOWNS

When communication breaks down, you might see one of these seven scenes play out in a data project.² We've summarized them in ...