People Analytics For Dummies

Chapter 3

Contrasting People Analytics Approaches

IN THIS CHAPTER

Understanding how your primary goal affects project design

Deciding on a method of planning and mode of operation

Designing a solution that will give you what you need

Too commonly, I hear that a company has spent years setting up an advanced data dashboard and visualization system only to discover it doesn’t give executives what they want or need. It is said in different ways. Some examples include:

• “We implemented a self-service dashboard environment, but nobody uses it.”
• “We have lots of data — we’re drowning in data now — but what we really need are insights.”
• “We have people working on reporting, but now we are looking for ways to get more business impact from our data.”

The good news is that these problems are avoidable if you determine what you’re looking for, design each people analytics project to give you what you need, and communicate with others accordingly.

To simplify the enigma of people analytics possibilities, I offer three of your main project considerations with two options each.

Figuring Out What You Are After: Efficiency or Insight

Here’s the first question to ask when it comes to your own ...