Our data team is swamped
“Our data team is swamped. We need to hire”
Hiring is a hammer that sees everything as a nail. It’s often a lazy solution to the real problems.
Before we add more analyst to the team, you have to answer a key question.
Why is your data team swamped with reports and data requests?
Many data leaders I know will be curious like this:
Maybe there are too many ad hoc reports sent their way without any filters.
Perhaps there are other reports available that could meet this need.
How long will this report be used for?
But far fewer data leaders ask these questions:
Are we swamped because the reports are taking a really long time in development?
Because of bad data quality?
Because of minimal processes?
Because of poor requirements gathering?
Because of lacking skills?
Adding more headcount to your team can only irritate and increase these issues.
The beliefs and behaviors of your team are more foundational to the success of your team than the number of engineers and analysts.
Do you need to hire? Perhaps.
Do you need to adopt practices and processes that will allow your team to execute better? Always.
I'm glad you are here,
Sawyer
from The Data Shop
