Marketing and Sales Analytics: Proven Techniques and Powerful Applications from Industry Leaders

12. Governance Models—Because Analytics Are Political

Reflect once again on Judah Phillips’ memorable comment, “If information is power, then analytics are inevitably a political process.” Every political process includes considerations like who will control what resources, who will participate, and who will play what role in decisions related to the use of those resources. The resources in question are data, analysts, and the people and tools that act on the insights analysts generate from data. Control of these resources means having the right and the budget to buy and sell data and technology, as well as to hire and fire staff and advisors. The decisions at hand include defining data, governing its access, setting priorities for analytic teams, ...