Assessment and Roadmap
A detailed Data Platform Assessment and Roadmap so you can have confidence and clarity for your Data Team.
Is your data team stuck?
Oh, you are doing lots of stuff. New dashboards are happening. An occasional new data source is integrated. Some code refactoring. Performance tuning. Bug fixing here, there, and everywhere.
See? Lots of stuff.
But you aren’t confident it’s the right stuff. Are you moving the needle on what matters? The stakeholder teams ask for things all the time, and you try to accommodate them as much as you can. Yet, it still feels like missing alignment and constantly shifting priorities are your daily life.
How do you move from a firefighting data team to a data team the organization can’t live without?
Imagine clarity and confidence
…about your data teams’ current situation
…and a compelling vision for where you are headed.
Imagine knowing not just how to build the thing right, but how to build the right thing. Imagine the feeling of confidence when your team tackles a bug fix, new report request, or data integration initiative because you know how it creates value to the organization and further’s it’s mission.
Get Clarity and Confidence from a Seasoned Data Professional.
Clarity and confidence are possible. It often just takes an expert perspective at the right point in time. Get an active engagement from a data pro who can go into deep technical weeds and strategize about organizational challenges with you.
Book an Assessment and Roadmap with me now.
Why?
I’ve worked with dozens of data teams and enterprise data platforms at some of the largest and most respected brands in the world.
I hold technical certifications up and down the data stack from technical data engineer to business intelligence.
I speak “stakeholder” fluently. I started my career in the business and operations world trenches, and my heart never left.
“I read your content every day, and after being in this profession for 20 years, you are one of the first voices I have come across that truly seems to understand the challenges and struggles small to mid-size data teams and organizations face. I really appreciate your content and very often share them with my team and CFO as a way to help communicate the challenges we face, presented in the voice of another professional.”
How it works
To kick us off, you complete a detailed Assessment and Roadmap questionnaire, followed by interviews with key org and technical leadership (all of which will be recorded and available to you).
Within two weeks, I’ll deliver you a detailed Data Platform Report.
I want more details.
Sure.
Questionnaire: We start with a detailed questionnaire to assess the business, organizational, functional, and technical goals for data.
Leadership Interviews (2-4 hrs of video calls): Interviews with 3-4 members of the technical and organizational leadership. Focused on understanding key organizational goals and strategy as well as understanding current state. All interviews will be recorded and provided to you afterward.
Written Data Platform Report that includes:
Data Platform Goals: Based on the assessment and interviews, you receive an outline of key desired outcomes and how data can align with that direction.
Current State Assessment: Detailed assessment of existing data assets and reports.
High-level Architecture: Recommended data tools and services and how they fit together.
Development Roadmap: Phase-by-phase outline of moving to the desired architecture.
Post Report Q&A Session (1 hour): Meeting to discuss the report and answer questions.
Follow-Up Sessions: When questions come up down the road you will have two (2) 1 hour follow-up sessions within 90 days of assessment completion.
Get Started Now!
Total Price: $5,500
100% Money Back Guarantee
I’m so confident that I can help you, that I offer a 100% Money Back Guarantee. If, at the end of the Leadership Interviews you don’t feel like you’ve gotten your money’s worth, just let me know and I’ll refund your payment in full.
Why do an Assessment and Roadmap?
Save Time and Money: Saves you months of time and thousands of dollars by removing the guesswork and asking the right questions upfront.
Clarity and Confidence: Get clarity about the direction, priorities, and purpose of the Data Platform at your organization.
Future-Focused Solution: As you grow, you will have a roadmap that scales with your growth and aligns with your goals.
Data Analytics Foundation: Clear roadmap for establishing the foundation of a trusted and reliable data platform.
Don’t take my word for it!
“I'm truly blown away by your ability to get to the core of issues in a (deceptively) simple and concise manner. Lots to dig in and learn from you”
I find these very useful. So useful in fact that they are kept in their own folder. Called “useful”.
Matt Mitchell - Director, Data & Analytics
“Super Helpful”
Justin Martin - Analytics & Insights Team Lead
“Big fan of Sawyer’s newsletter”
Elijah Butler - Data Education Creator and Professional
“Wow. This is spot on.”
FAQs
Is my data team too small/large for this?
The Assessment and Roadmap service is ideal for data teams ranging from 0-15 team members. Companies looking to build a data team from ground zero will benefit substantially from having a plan and purpose for establishing a data team.
Do you need access to our systems or data for this assessment?
No. Getting access to databases and other systems is often a slow process and the delays inhibit us from making this an effective and efficient project. For that reason, this assessment scope doesn't include hands-on analysis of your data and systems. If there are specific systems or data objects that surface that you feel are important to show me or that I think would be useful for me to see, we can do it over screenshare.
In the questionnaire, I request (if available) data architecture diagrams, read code repository access, documentation, and wiki access.
How do we decide the 3-4 leadership team members that you should speak with?
I would suggest including leaders who are most invested/dependent in the future of the data team - Often that's 1-2 people. Then 1-2 people from the more technical side.
The target range is 2-4 hours, but I think it's necessary we can stretch beyond that a bit. If it makes sense, we can include multiple people in the same interview (e.g., two data people or two finance people).
What is the questionnaire about?
Three main sections of the questionnaire are:
Company and Market overview, goals, and obstacles.
Data Team function, structure, and processes.
Technical Data Details.
While I expect the data leader will be able to answer most of the questions in sections 2 and 3 (although you are welcome to have your team weigh in), I anticipate you will likely include other leaders from your company to answer questions in the first section.
There are roughly 25 questions. In collaboration with others, it often takes 2-4 hours to complete.
How long does the Assessment and Roadmap Project take? What kind of timeline can we expect?
The timeline roughly looks like this:
2-3 days for you to complete the questionnaire,
2-3 days for me to review and prepare for interviews,
1-2 days of interviews
5-7 days for me to prepare the final report.
The whole process takes 2-3 weeks. At the time I send over the questionnaire we'll work on getting the interviews scheduled for about 1 week later.
Once the invoice is paid, I'll send out the questionnaire and get us started.
Who’s behind The Data Shop anyway?
I’m Sawyer Nyquist - the author of The Data Daily and a data craftsman based in the woods of West Michigan, USA. My work focuses on business intelligence, data engineering, data warehousing, and data platform architecture. I hold cloud data certifications in data engineering, Apache Spark, and business intelligence. Over my career, I’ve worked with dozens of organizations to strategize and implement data platforms, analytics, and technology to drive growth.
For the last three years I’ve been a Sr. Data Engineering Consultant at Microsoft.
I’m a firm believer that February is the longest month of the year (at least in Michigan), and that Michigan is the state with the best summers.
Last Chance!
I’m only available for a couple of Assessment and Roadmap clients per month. The sooner you book the better.