Development Plan for Data Skills
Project Goal and Stakeholders
As an associate, I added value to the team by being the point-person for majority of the data-related endeavors that the team was interested in pursuing. I was regularly assigned to create reports and analyses on a variety of topics related to our Admissions data. However, when I became a manager in 2020, my focus shifted from how I can continue running these analyses to upskilling the different members of my team to perform similar tasks and responsibilities. As such, one of my immediate priorities was creating a strong data culture by developing members' ability to continuously make data-informed decisions in their day-to-day activities.
Approach and Methodology
The project began with an initial needs analysis on what aspects of Data-Driven Decision-Making did they specifically need extra support and guidance on. This was anchored on the team members' most recent performance review in which we identified specific competencies that required further development. Following consultations with different stakeholders such as my co-manager, our HR consultant and my direct supervisor, I crafted a development plan that touched on the 4Es of continuous learning: Education, Experience, Exposure and Environment.
EDUCATION
The development plan began with a series of training sessions meant to provide a crash course on foundational data skills for our members. Since I had previously attended several seminars and workshops on Data Analysis and Data Storytelling, I wanted create training content that was specifically made to tie into our context as an Admissions team. This was made possible by working closely with our Data and Impact Assessment team. Through my collaboration with them, we were able to design several modules revolving around Data Analysis process:
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How to choose the right questions to guide your analysis
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How to collect and consolidate the information needed to run the analysis
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How to cut and explore data
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How to identify insights from your data
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How to visualize data and present it an effective manner
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How to determine next steps with stakeholders using the analysis
While the training series did cover the use of certain tools such as excel, I wanted to focus the initial training on mindsets and behaviors that team members regularly needed to practice to run an effective analysis. It was later on the year through several different training and onboarding sessions did we cover more ground on technical skills such as working with more complex formulas in excel, writing SQL queries, managing Salesforce data and setting up forms through Form Assembly.
This was the framework I developed to tie together the first series of training sessions, where the thesis was that if you are able to practice Effective Data Management with Data-Informed Storytelling and Decision Making, teams would be able to move from just gathering data and information towards engaging in an evidence-based culture.
EXPERIENCE
In order to practice applying the knowledge acquired through the training sessions, members were tasked to run regular data reports that would be shared during our weekly meetings. Information from these reports revolved around their progress-to-target as recruiters and the results of the analyses were frequently used to inform operational decisions as a team. At the end of each month, members were also expected to present a data report that was relevant to their role specializations (e.g. Selector Performance, Partner Recruitment, Candidate Retention, etc). These reports and presentations not only became an opportunity for us to discuss pivots we needed to make for our strategy, but they also served as a concrete experiences our team members to hone their data skills as it required members to be more fluent in their use of the different tools and platforms we were regularly using.
ENVIRONMENT
By the time we had launched the development plan, we already a had a working Admissions data management system in place to help facilitate team members' ability to work with data on a regular basis. Individuals had immediate access to documented reports and analyses done in the years prior, as well as MOPs and user guides for how to utilize specific tools that we were already regularly using. Since I had overseen the development of the data management system in the years prior (Click here to learn more), I served as a resource person for the team for any questions or challenges they may have encountered in any of their data projects.
Members began to pursue special projects that had more larger implications for our team's strategy and operations. An example of this was looking at how a recently developed prioritization system was effective in predictive success in the process.
EXPOSURE
Our team made it a point to continuously learn from one another especially when it came to practicing data skills on a regular basis. We relied heavily on feedback to one another in order for us to continuously improve on the kind of analyses, reports and presentations we were communicating with one another. It was important to ensure that feedback was not only being shared by the managers, but also the associates as well, to encourage team members to constantly think critically about each other's data projects.
Additionally, my co-manager and I made it a point to include in our monthly check-ins with our team members a progress check to see what areas of data-driven decision making did they have challenges with. Based on insights from these conversations, we would then determine what additional support and guidance we would need to provide (e.g. Additional tools training or more feedback on specific data skills). We also set up a working relationship with members of the organization's Data, Impact and Assessment team so that Admissions team members can consult with them on an as-needed basis.
The Admissions team when I first became a manager. A big part of what made the development plan a success was trusting in and learning from one another to add value to the work we were doing using our Admissions data.
Project Outcome
As a result of the project, we were able to foster a strong data culture within the team. Data skills were no longer limited to one person in the team, but were regularly being demonstrated across by all of the team members. This also helped promote more effective stewardship of the team's data, as members had a better appreciation of how we were able to utilize the data we collect throughout our processes to inform our strategy and operations.