Win with Advanced Business Analytics: Creating Business Value from Your Data

ANALYTICS COMMUNICATION TIPS

Although business analytics is about creating value, we have seen throughout this book that putting analytics to work requires a need for change. In turn, change management requires sponsorship from the executive team, and, as we all know, the execution of the intervention prescribed by the analytics team is not always owned by that team. Hence, in order to work with and through other teams, effective communication is the essential tool. Therefore, within the framework of communication and change management, you should consider the following items:

• Get commitment and the buy-in from target audiences to adopt the solutions.
• Achieve consensus on how to put analytics to work in the organization.
• Achieve consensus on how to deliver the solutions.
• Review and prioritize the business challenge.
• Prepare the audience for the change.
• Plan the timeline accordingly.
• Set the right expectations.
• Manage changes.

Communication is the biggest challenge some analysts face. It is sometimes their pitfall, simply because analysts primarily care about doing analytics, and it is sometimes difficult for them to get out of their analytics comfort zone. To communicate analytics effectively, analysts need to really spark their audience’s interest and attention, by focusing on what is important to them. Following are some tips on how to communicate analytics:

• Have a communication plan.
• Include an agenda.
• Know your audience.
• Put the findings in context.
• Use examples that everyone ...