When the Game Changer Arrives

When you least expect it, that is when it happens.

When you stop looking for something, what you are looking for finds you.

At least that is what happened to me the past two days as I attend a couple of amazing events produced by Powerteam International.

48 hours ago I was in a bit of a funk.

Maybe more than a bit of funk. It was actually about fourteen months ago when I came to the conclusion that I needed a new mountain to climb.

I am one of those people who live for the journey, not the destination. When I check off all of the boxes I wanted to check off in a certain pursuit, I need to move on to something different.

So when I pretty much achieved all I had set out to do in the Philippines, I started looking for something new to do back in the U.S. My absolute favorite thing to do is talk about analytics in front of an audience hungry to level up with their ability to optimize data. It took 8 years, but I had pretty much become the biggest name in analytics training in the Philippines. So what is my follow up to that?

I spent the past year plus exploring how to get more involved in using analytics for civic responsibility and advocating for a more data-driven electorate. However, I just couldn’t find a place where I could pour my passion into.

Long story short, that brought me to the Small Business Expo in Orlando two days ago.

Having just spent a day exploring Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I was mentally well rested and ready to get out there and network as I was planning to basically rebuild my training advocacy that I had built in the Philippines, but now in North Central Florida.

One more point, before talking in depth about my Game Changing Day.

I took this private tour safari at the animal park. I was setting out on the deck overlooking the savannah section of the park watching giraffes, spring buck and really, really big horned cows as the sun started to set.

It was a beautiful moment. And honestly it was not cheap. It cost like $180. But man was it worth it.

I said to myself, I love this. I want to keep doing this kind of stuff. But I’m gonna need to make a lot more money if I want to really have the lifestyle I want.., to travel, to explore, to experience. In short, I need to be rich to get to the top of my next mountain.

Unsure how I would get there, but ready to start a new chapter I entered the Expo.

At first glance it was like any number of similar expos that I have been to over the years. A bunch of workshops, an exhibitor area, a main stage with a bunch of speakers I hadn’t heard of before. So I got into networking mode.

Attending a couple of workshops and walked half the exhibitor area, picking up a few ideas and 1–2 good leads. And then it all changed.

I attended a workshop by a guy named Bill Walsh. Yeah being a lifelong 49ers fan, that was the main reason I picked this workshop.

Before I knew it, I had filled up several pages of notes. Like how to use your book to build your business without even finishing the book. I mean Bill was giving me a lot of really good small business ideas that make a ton of sense. Another that stuck out was the idea of selling from stage. Honestly, the fact that I was getting all this for free was quite remarkable.

And then the sales pitch came. Like most speakers Bill had something to offer us. In this case a Public Speakers Camp. Five days of intense training to up your game as a speaker to really optimize your time on stage. Sounds awesome. The kicker, the price tag was kinda high… probably too high for 90% of the attendees.

So at the end, I hung around. Fired up by the pages of notes I had taken and seeing the potential that abounds in what Bill said. I really could focus more on my passion (public speaking) to offer what I am good at (analytics training) that will enable more of my prime motivator in life (travel).

I got a deeper understanding on the offer and started to sense it could be a game changer. It’s a significant investment, but if it pans out this could shave two years off of my business development plan. I could easily be making 7 figures in the near future.

The Platinum Speaker Program, five days with 20 like-minded individuals being taught by Bill. All kinds of help with refining your offer, polishing you message and picking up best practices. With a promise to be put in stage within 60 days. Sounds kinda too could to be true right?

That’s what most of us would think. And we would never stop thinking.

But I get it. I see exactly how this would benefit someone like me.

So I signed up.

But I still didn’t appreciate the scope of what I had signed up for.

After talking with Bill, I went back to the exhibitor area. And started to fit the pieces together.

Several of the speakers had done what I was doing. And one after another, as I spoke to them, Deann, Merri-Jo, Tina, Sheridan, Angel… validated my thoughts that this is something I should be part of.

The Small Business Expo is THE stage that the graduates of the program are put on. They get to talk about their area of expertise and offer their services while also sharing what Powerteam does for its speakers.

It’s brilliant.

I’ve been a speaker at many, many events where part of the speaker lineup (including myself) is working closely with the event organizers to develop additional post workshop activities to partner on.

But this one, the Small Business Expo series… it’s the best I have ever seen.

It will get me on stage, to build my advocacy, to grow my business and take me all around the world.

For me it is that game changer I had been looking for, but did not expect to find it here.

Boom! I got my mojo back.

Now off to climb a new mountain.

Dan Meyer heads Sonic Analytics, an analytics advocacy with offices in Manila, the San Francisco Bay Area and as of February 2019, Ocala, FL. With over 20 years in Big Data, Dan is one of the most sought-after public speakers in Asia and has recently begun offering public training seminars in the United States. Dan has also recently joined the Powerteam International family as a small business analytics resource speaker.

Sonic Analytics(www.sonicanalytics.com) brings big data analytics solutions like business intelligence, business dashboards and data storytelling to small and medium sized organizations looking to enhance their data-driven decision-making capabilities. We also advocate the use of analytics for civic responsibility through training, consulting and education.

As citizens of this great democracy, we need to look at the data (analytics), plan a course of action (strategy) and share our data-driven viewpoints (presentation). This approach to a data savvy work force starts in school. So, we started an internship program to empower our youth to use Analytics, plan Strategy and Present their insights… ASP!

When not training current and future analysts, you can find Dan championing the use of analytics to empower data-driven citizenship by volunteering his expertise with schools and non-profits dedicated to evidence-based social progress like Saint Leo University’s Women in Data + Science Program and the Data + Women of Tampa Meet Up Group.

From Putting Your Data to Work… A Basic Overview of Analytics

Analytics is about looking for patterns in data to help answer questions. Most businesses use analytics to help ensure more data-driven decision-making.

The primary people responsible for conducting analytics on the massive amounts of data we have today are analysts. Analysts are skilled in using various technologies and methodologies to identify, inventory and integrate large amounts of data quickly.

Many Analysts today feel like they are drowning in a sea of data. They need to know how to take control of their data and analysis to quickly answer business questions and make critical decisions. They want to confidently present results and solutions to their managers, colleagues and clients.

You should get started by building a baseline understanding of analytics. The term analytics can often be used interchangeably with statistics and data science. What separates analytics from disciplines like statistics and data science is generally the speed of the analysis and the focus on solving business problems.

The most common form of analytics is business analytics, which is usually used by senior leaders and decision-makers to investigate problems, validate assumptions and to guide strategic planning.

Business analysts are therefore the most common type of analyst. If you do a job search on the title analyst, as many as half the posting will likely be business analysts. However, analytics can be used in an almost limitless number of business functions in specific areas like HR, recruitment, marketing, finance, and so on. Each one can have its very own analyst.

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Analysts have been around a long time, but recent technological advances have both allowed us to produce and capture more data as well as give us the ability to analyze immense data sets quickly. Thus we are amidst a huge boom in the applications of analytics and the need for analytics talent across the globe. Analytics is something just about every business leader is trying to figure out how to use more effectively in their business. To add to our challenge, the demand for good analysts is booming just as fast as the explosion in big data.

As a result, there is a huge shortage of people who are skilled in working with data to answer questions and solve problems. This is why you have seen the number of analyst job postings increasing at an amazing rate.

If you are a business leader, manager, owner, and/or executive are not actively trying to surround yourself with analysts and if you are not infusing an analytics centric culture in your business, you will most likely soon see your business fail.

A business needs analysts to make sense of big data, manage the storage of the data, and know when to use which of the 4 types of analytics (descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive). To be effective, analysts need to have business intelligence tools to create data visualizations, build business dashboards and tell stories with data.

So whether you are an analyst or someone who oversees analysts, Putting Your Data to Work is designed as guidebook to help you get the most out of your business data.

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DMAIPH – Decision-making, Analytics & Intelligence Philppines

Over the past few years businesses in the Philippines have invested heavily in big data, analytics and data science, but still have not achieved the expected outcomes of data-driven companies.

Based on our learnings from the 100’s of Filipino businesses and 10,000s of Filipinos who have taken part in DMAIPH Analytics trainings all across the country, we have crafted a proven, non-technical approach to upskilling your team in analytics.

In 2019, we will be launching two new training programs: (1) Our DMAIPH Applied Analytics Master Class series for executives, leaders and decision-makers and our (2) DMAIPH Applied Analytics Boot Camp series for practicing analysts.

The Hardest Part of Training Analysts? Fitting the Content to fit the Clock

I get asked a lot about what is the hardest part of teaching people to use analytics and training analysts.

The biggest challenge is really trying to fit content into a timeline.

Analytics is not something you can box up an mass train on.

That’s why so many analytics training approaches fail.

Trainers are forced to either spend too much time on a few parts of analytics or spend too little time on a lot of important concepts.

It is really more art than science when it comes to using analytics because every data source is unique, every analyst has their own individual background, and every business question has a distinct answer.

Take a recent talk I gave at an event for HR professionals covering topics related to Compensation and Benefits.

I had 60 minutes to really introduce an audience of over 200 to analytics knowing they are generally unfamiliar with analytics terminology and mostly just use excel for basic reporting and analysis.

Before getting to a case study full of analytics jargon, I spent a few minutes given an extremely high level of some of the key concepts they need to now to fully related to the case study.

Here is a key slide:

I then went into a 3 minute cruise at 30,000 feet over the landscape that is analytics.

Did my best to make sure the audience was able at the very least attach a definition and an example to each of the concepts.

Later on in the presentation, I wanted to leave the audience with some guidance on how to solve CompenBen questions with analytics, so I walked them through this slide:

Based on lessons from my book, Putting Your Data to Work, I covered six steps for them to take back to work the next day.

If you are interested in owning your own copy of the book, please check out this link https://www.sonicanalytics.com/analytics-book

One of the reasons I have been so successful in my 7 years here in the Philippines, is that I am blessed with the ability to take some fairly complex and often intimidating concepts and turn them into tangible, layman friendly learnings.

If you are interested in learning more about how to attend a future public training on analytics or book me for a tailored in-house training designed specifically for your business, please contact me here or via my marketing partner, www.sonicanalytics.com

DMAIPH – Decision-making, Analytics & Intelligence Philppines

Over the past few years businesses in the Philippines have invested heavily in big data, analytics and data science, but still have not achieved the expected outcomes of data-driven companies.

We will feature case studies of real Filipino run business, exercises based on actual analytics challenges being solved by Filipino analysts, and provide you with a copy of my book, Putting Your Data to Work, an analytics guidebook for the Filipino professional

Connect with us via our marketing partner, http://www.sonicanalytics.com to learn about upcoming analytics trainings and events.

One Of The Key Differences About The AAP… Our Strong Ties to Academia.

It’s not a coincidence that the Analytics Association of the Philippines has such a strong focus on skills building and talent development.

In fact the majority of our founding board members either are currently or have in the past taught in higher education.

The reality of the current analytics landscape in the Philippines is that we need large scale initiatives to both upskill the existing workforce as well engage with the government and with academe to ensure a steady stream of analytics savvy graduates.

Some of the initiatives we have in the works include:

Upskilling training as many as 500,000 Filipinos currently working in the IT-BPO sector whose jobs are at risk do to AI
Facilitating a series of academic conferences to empower analytics educators with more tools and resources
Conducting train the trainer classes to build up the necessary number of analytics experts who can assist in both the massive upskilling and the teacher conferences
Working with a wide range of associations and organizations to offer targeted analytics training for their members
Bringing together analytics training providers, academic programs, industry leaders and government officials to unify the analytics ecosystem.

To meet the founding board members of the AAP, interact with many of the 30+ companies already working with the AAP, and to learn more about Big Data Analytics here in the Philippines, check out the following event:

https://conferences.enderunextension.com/conferences/big-data-analytics-summit-2017

It’s a holiday for many of us, but learning about analytics never stops.

See you there!

Analytics Leadership – DMAIPH is a founding member of the Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP.PH) and specializes in arming the Data-Driven Leader with the tools and techniques they need to build and empower an analytics centric organization. Analytics leadership requires a mastery of not just analytics skill, but also of nurturing an analytics culture. We have guided thousands of Filipino professionals to become better analytics leaders. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to discuss a uniquely tailored strategy to ensure you are the top of your game when it comes to Analytics Leadership.

Meet the Founders of the AAP at the Big Data Conference on Nov 15 @ SM Aura

Meet the Founders…

Daniel Meyer
Executive DirectorPresident and Founder of DMAIPH (Decision-Making, Analytics & Intelligence Philippines), an Analytics, consulting, training and outsourcing company with offices in Manila and the San Francisco Bay Area.He worked as a Senior Analytics Consultant for Wells Fargo Bank for 15 years. He provided executive management analytics for the bank’s remittance service including developing business dashboards, overseeing competitive intelligence gathering, managing data analytics outsourcing projects and facilitating audit and risk management.Catch him on:

Oct 18 – Gensan ICT Summit 2017 (SM Gensan)
Oct 18 – Data Night Gensan (Mabuhay I.T. Park, Gensan)
Oct 24
Oct 26-27 – HR Big Data & Predictive Recruitment Analytics
Nov. 15 – Big Data Analytics Summit ( SMX Aura )
Nov 18 – For Generation Digital by Blogapalooza (City of Dreams)
Nov 21-22 – Big Data Analytics and Data Value Chain
Nov 23 – Philippines HR Group Summit 2017 (Sequoia Hotel, Quezon City)
Nov 24 – Digital Marketing Analytics
Nov 28-29 – Analytics for HR Managers (2nd Run)
Dec 4-5 – Big Data for 2018

Colin Christie
Governance & Membership ChairA serial entrepreneur, connector and collaborator. He currently serves as the Executive Director of Global Chamber® Manila, and is Dean & Director of Digital Transformation at Enderun Colleges. Colin serves as a President of the Board of Trustees of the Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP.ph). Colin has practiced a life-long passion for embracing transformative technologies, spanning many industries, from manufacturing, to software, to healthcare and education. Colin is a graduate in Chemical Engineering from the University of California at Berkeley.Catch him on:

Nov. 15 – Big Data Analytics Summit ( SMX Aura )

Karlo Panti
External Relations & Marketing ChairA Director of Global Production at QuintilesIMS responsible for mature markets and developed countries in the Asia Pacific and the Country Head of IMS Health Operations Center Philippines, Inc. serving as the President and Chairman. In addition, he is one of the founding members of the Analytics Association of the Philippines, serving in the Board of Trustees as the Head for External Relations.He has more than 16 years of experience in operations and service delivery, having managed large teams in different industries and geographies and migrated new business processes to the Philippines from different Fortune 500 companies.Karlo led teams servicing different verticals mainly in life sciences data analytics, insurance and healthcare, F&A, travel, transportation and logistics, high-tech, consumer and telecommunications.Throughout his career, he has improved the operational processes of different companies as a COPC Practitioner and a Six-Sigma Champion helping them grow their business with his involvement in sales, due diligence, transitions and migrations as well as automations and transformation projects.As a speaker and a facilitator, Karlo has shared his insights on leadership development, operational excellence, team building, business analytics and life sciences.Catch him on:

Oct 13 – 15^th Philippine Institute of Industrial Engineers (PIIE) National Congress
Oct 25 – HIMSCON 2017

Dominic “Doc” Ligot
Research and Development ChairAn entrepreneur, software developer, trainer, and data consultant. Doc’s passions include advanced analytics, disruptive innovation, organizational change, and obtaining business value from data. He is the Founder and Managing Director of Cirrolytix Research Services which provides data and analytics support to small and medium enterprises and analytics freelancers in the Philippines.Doc teaches digital marketing analytics for the Certified Digital Marketer (CDM) program and financial analysis and management science for the American Academy of Financial Management (AAFM). Prior to becoming a tech entrepreneur, he was Asia Pacific Practice Partner for Advanced Analytics for big data analytics firm Teradata and previously held executive leadership positions at global banks HSBC and ANZ.Catch him on:

Oct 26-27 – Global CEM Summit Financial Services Singapore
Oct 21 – Bookkeepers Summit 2017
Nov. 15 – Big Data Analytics Summit ( SMX Aura )

Brenda A. Quismorio

Education (Academe) Chair and Data Science and Analytics Framework Co-Chair

Dr. Brenda A. Quismorio has a combined fifteen years of experience in consulting, training, project management, process reengineering, application development and maintenance, quality management, and data services work for global firms such as Andersen Consulting (now Accenture) and Watson Wyatt Worldwide (now Willis Towers Watson) and local firms such as First Philippine Holdings and Aboitiz Transport Systems (now 2GO Group Inc.).Brenda joined the academe in 2010 as an Assistant Professor at the University of Asia and the Pacific. She spearheads the undergraduate specialization program in Business Analytics.

She is a founding member of the Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP) and the Business Analytics Society of Educators (BASE). She forms part of the Advisory Group of the APEC Project DARE (Data Analytics Raising Employment). She is currently the Board Member and Chair of the Education-Academe Committee of the Analytics Association of the Philippines. She is a resource person of a number of professional organizations and training institutes on Business Analytics. Brenda holds degrees from the University of the Philippines (Diliman) in BS Statistics, MBA, MS in Management and Phd in Business Administration with a dissertation on modeling financial extreme risks.

Catch her on:

Oct. 17-18 – 2017 BSP-UP Professorial Chair Lectures (Executive Business Center, BSP Complex)
Nov. 15 – Big Data Analytics Summit ( SMX Aura )

Sherwin Pelayo
Data Science and Analytics Framework Chairhas been involved in strategic capability development initiatives at Accenture, IBM, and now at Pointwest Technologies Corporation. In this role, Sherwin has been responsible for defining strategies to initiate and expand key transforming digital services including identifying focus areas, defining competencies, building curricula, enabling practitioners, developing leads and opportunities, architecting solutions, and ensuring project delivery.His current focus is in Analytics and Experience Design. It is in the intersection of these two where Sherwin finds his passion–connecting the science of Analytics and the art of Human-Centered Design not only to bring data-inspired, user-driven solutions for business partners but also deliver greater, more impactful social innovation for the Philippines.Catch him on:

Nov. 15 – Big Data Analytics Summit ( SMX Aura )

Dr. Eugene Rex L. Jalao
Education (Academe) and Research and Development Co-ChairAn Associate Professor of Analytics and Industrial Engineering in the University of the Philippines Diliman, Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research. He specializes in Decision Support Systems, Business Analytics Solutions, Data Mining, Optimization and Systems Simulation. He obtained his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Arizona State University (ASU) in May 2013. Additionally, he obtained his Masters of Science in Industrial Engineering degree as well as his Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from the University of the Philippines Diliman in 2009 and 2007 respectively. He was inducted into the Alpha Phi Mu, Industrial Engineering Honor Society in 2012.His ten years of work and research experience are in the fields of business analytics both here in the Philippines and in the United States of America, specifically in the Banking, FMCG, Manufacturing, Real Estate, Healthcare, Telecommunications and Information Technology industries. Also, he is the current director of the Business Analytics Certification Program of UP National Engineering Center. Furthermore, he was part of 50-person APEC team that drafted the Recommended Data Science and Analytics Competencies last May 2017 in Singapore. He is also a certified SAP ERP Materials Management consultant, a Matlab computing associate and an advocate of the R Programming language.Catch him on:

UP NEC Analytics Certification Training Modules
Oct 18 – 20 – Module C – Descriptive Analytics
Nov 22 – 24 – Module B – Data Warehousing
Dec 6 – 8 – Module D – Predictive Analytics
Nov. 15 – Big Data Analytics Summit ( SMX Aura )

Michelle Alarcon

Education (Professional) Chair

With more than 20 years of IT consulting experience in the Philippines, US and Europe, she started her own consulting firm 4 years ago that specializes in analytics, her passion ever since she graduated with a degree in Statistics from the University of the Philippines. She trained on and practiced data mining in Spain for two years, and later on pioneered the Analytics Department of the largest local private bank in 2005.

In 2011, she was the Consulting Director for a top software company where she led a team of 150 consultants in implementing enterprise solutions for companies worldwide. Now as President and Managing Director of Z-Lift Solutions, she brings all these experiences to her clients as she defines their roadmap towards a smarter business with analytics, and enables them to make it part of their new culture as a data-driven organization. She is also the organizer of the R Users Group of the Philippines, a 4-year-old community that aims to promote the use of open source R for statistical programming in the country.

Catch her on:

Oct 18 – R Users Group (RUG-PH) Meetup (TIP Manila)
Oct 17 – Big Data and Analytics (Colegio de San Agustin)
Nov. 15 – Big Data Analytics Summit ( SMX Aura )
Nov 16 – RUG-PH Meetup (Manulife UP-Ayala Technopark)

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The Analytics Moonshot of Upskill Training 500K Filipinos… So how is it all connected?

There are undoubtedly many ways to approach a task of this magnitude, but for me it starts with creating more experts.

One of the biggest challenges facing Data Science and Analytics in the Philippines right now is a lack of subject matter experts.

Those who have the background, the experience and the skills to be a senior analyst or data scientist are in short supply.

Over the past years the demand for top DSA has boomed laying bare an unescapable reality, there just aren’t enough of us to go around.

The proliferation of data themed trainings, coupled with the recent launch of several academic efforts to mint experts show us that there are those thinking about how to address the supply problem.

However, my worry is that these efforts are simply too small in scope to significantly alter the trajectory we are currently on.

Even on my own, as a top expert and training resource, I can only directly impact a couple of thousand Filipinos a year.

If my analysis of the current DSA Ecosystem plays out, we, and by we, I mean ALL parties involved in training DSA experts, we will still be far short of the 500,000 DSA job opportunities the Philippines will see by 2022.

To turn things around we need to not just focus on creating DSA experts, but creating DSA experts who can create more DSA experts.

It starts with training trainers who can train DSA topics.

It continues as we influence our leaders, our policy makers and our educators to address the need for experts via the education system.

At the same time we embrace non-traditional ways of learning and we enable self-educated experts.

All the while we train, train, train. Upskill train entry level workers for new careers, train managers to manage using data and build teams who know data, and train executives how to lead their organizations into the digital age.

And our efforts build as we unify the ecosystem to get key players to align into a framework that supports each other.

With that, we then move these efforts nationwide.

Now we are talking. This concentrated effort might just get us to 500,000 Filipino DSA experts, which can mitigate the risk to the BPOs, make us competitive across the Asia-Pacific region and succeed in the digital transformation of an entire country.

And that’s why I call it our Moonshot.

Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to discuss a uniquely tailored strategy to ensure you are the top of your game when it comes to Analytics Leadership.

Surfing the Storm: How the Philippines will Digitally Transform and Prosper in the Age of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence.

There is a wave of digital disruption fast approaching the Philippines. The initial impact of massive digital transformation is already being felt. Just look at what Grab, Uber and Waze did to the Taxi Industry.

The same thing will at some point impact every aspect of the Philippines economy from banking to retail to the BPO industry. Swift advances in technology coupled with unstoppable demographic forces are pushing the country forward at a quickening pace.

The big question is not when will digital transformation happen on a nationwide scale, but how much of what we currently see will survive the wave when we come out on the other side.

For organizations that are well prepared, they will see new avenues of revenue, benefit from more optimized ways of doing business and enjoy a much closer connection to their employees and their customers.

For businesses that are not well prepared, they will see constant disruption and many will likely not survive the transition to the digital age. All you have to do is look at who the world’s most profitable companies ten years ago and compare that list to the top companies today and you will see many examples of what happens to companies who did not adapt.

In the Philippines, call center capital of the world, with over One Million workers and at least 10% of the nation’s GDP, we see a massive threat from one of the keystones of digital transformation, artificial intelligence. As many as 70% of work force and an untold number of workers in supporting industries (well over an additional million Filipinos) will likely see their current job replaced or at least heavily impacted by technological advances.

There are things being done to address this and with the right solutions falling into place we can envision a massive upskill training of the workforce. However, when it comes to both digital transformation and artificial intelligence, the best way to mitigate risks and take advantage of new opportunities is by turning to experts that can guide a business through a process of evolution.

It is an unfortunate truth however, that in the Philippines, a significant shortage in data-driven leaders and tech savvy workers who can teach others is a key challenge. Exacerbating the problem is that our current education system has not been as closely aligned with building data and tech skills as we would like to see.

Again, we see a lot of positive momentum in schools starting to offer data science programs and government entities updating curriculums, but they too struggle with the lack of experts who can teach the skills in high demand. This has led to a massive disconnect is the demand for data and tech skilled workers and the supply of qualified ones.

In addition, we have to recognize some hard truths about the way the youth of today and tomorrow learn. Besides updating our traditional education and corporate training models, we have to embrace new ways to learn. YouTube, Wikipedia, TED Talks, Coursera, the Khan Academy and an endless list of others… they are all lessons in digital disruption that can benefit us and guide us on our path.

So that challenge leads us to coming up with upskill training in data science, analytics, digital marketing, and a wide range of tech jobs for hundreds of thousands if not millions of Filipinos. On the plus side there are a lot of high quality solutions out there and a core element of thought leaders working on the skills problem. However, when you look at scale, there just simply is not enough of us currently to get close to the end goal.

The current ecosystem of industry associations, higher education institutions, government programs, independent training providers are all striving to meet the demand, but at times it is very fragmented. There is an overarching need for an umbrella organization to help unify the landscape. That’s what is behind the mission of the soon to launch Analytics Association of the Philippines.

As we bring together key players and influencers we can build an advocacy. Built on cooperation and a strategic vision to uplift the whole of the nation, we can tackle the challenges posed by the lack of experts and the skills mismatch. Together we can work to enhance the way we train, evolve the way we teach and use our influence to empower.

That’s my big vision for How the Philippines will Digitally Transform and Prosper in the Age of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. We will use big data analytics as our surfboard to help us navigate the wave of digital transformation and come out the other side as an example of how a nation can come together and Surf the Storm.

Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to discuss a uniquely tailored strategy to ensure you are the top of your game when it comes to Analytics Leadership.

HR Analytics in the Era of Digital Transformation: Thinking Through the Box

Later today I will be speaking to a group of HR Managers and Leaders from the BPO Industry. The gist of my talk will be about the disruption we are all feeling from big data and technology in our businesses.

We can all agree that attracting and retaining top talent has never been harder than it is right now. Years of sustained growth coupled with a progression up the outsourcing value chain have made the integration of analytics into our HR organizations paramount to continued success.

The future looks even more challenging. The way we used to manage talent just don’t work anymore.

New technologies like social networks, applicant tracking systems, business dashboards and business intelligence applications are fundamentally changing the entire talent management process from sourcing to placement to retirement.

These new technologies are enabling HR Managers with vast amounts of big data and providing truly actionable insights which allows a deeper understand of what’s working and what’s not working when it comes to our talent strategy.

Disruption is now the new normal. Cutting edge HR Managers utilize data-driven techniques like; capability analytics, competency acquisition analytics, capacity analytics, employee churn analytics, corporate culture analytics, recruitment channel analytics, leadership analytics and employee performance analytics.

I often say that managing the talent pipeline in the Philippines right now is one of the hardest jobs of the planet.

In fact, the pressure to deliver results has never been greater as HR managers are increasingly required to demonstrate the return on investment their efforts are contributing to the company’s bottom line.

HR Managers that get this, use analytics to not just succeed in these disruptive times, they thrive. They have figured out how to blend the science that is big data analytics with the art of taking care of people. For the BPO industry to continue enjoying prosperity, HR Managers need to become HR Analytics Managers.

HR & Recruitment Analytics – The recruitment and retention of top talent is the biggest challenge facing just about every organization. You really have to Think Through The Box to come up with winning solutions to effectively attract, retain and manage talent in the Philippines today.

DMAIPH is a leading expert in empowering HR & Recruitment teams with analytics techniques to optimize their talent acquisition and management processes. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to learn how to get more analytics in your HR & Recruitment process so you can rise to the top in the ever quickening demand for top talent.

Has the Philippines BPO Industry Lost It’s Edge?

Just read Tholons latest paper on Digital Disruption: http://www.tholons.com/pdf/TSGI%20Report%202017.pdf

As if things aren’t gonna be hard enough, the BPO industry here in the Philippines is not evolving fast enough. The tidal wave of digital disruption is not something we are adequately prepared for.

Although we are #3 overall when it comes to countries in a position to continue to benefit from globalization, being one of the top countries is by no means assured.

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For the past decade its mainly been a battle between India and the Philippines, but China has crashed the party and a lot of Latin American countries are in hot pursuit.

If you are one who thinks the BPO industry here is gonna continue to see 20% year over year growth, then this slide should give you pause.

Why? Because although blessed with some amazing advantages for customer service, we aren’t currently optimizing our focus on digital transformation.

When you look at the next image, you see both Manila and Cebu have lost ground in the battle of global cities in the past year as well.

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Manila was #2, now its #4. Now is not the time to be complacent. We need to invest heavily in upskilling our BPO workforce to offer higher value chain services. We need to champion for strong DSA programs in the schools. And we need to make sure decision-makers are armed with the data they need to keep the Philippines on the cutting edge of globalization.

Thats why we have the AAP.PH and why we have launched Augment BPO.

17426122_1095825400562902_5936762267508985241_n Analytics Leadership – DMAIPH is a founding member of the Analytics Association of the Philippines (AAP.PH) and specializes in arming the Data-Driven Leader with the tools and techniques they need to build and empower an analytics centric organization. Analytics leadership requires a mastery of not just analytics skill, but also of nurturing an analytics culture. We have guided thousands of Filipino professionals to become better analytics leaders. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to discuss a uniquely tailored strategy to ensure you are the top of your game when it comes to Analytics Leadership. #AAP.PHMoonshot

The Augment BPO Data Science and Analytics Advocacy Project (Augment BPO) is empowering BPO Companies, Executives, and Workers in the Philippines to prepare for and address the clear and present danger posed by Artificial Intelligence Chatbots (AI Chatbots) to BPO revenue growth and jobs through Data Science and Analytics strategy planning, awareness building and upskill training. #AugmentBPO

The Scope of the Challenge of our Analytics Moonshot

Sometimes I think it helps to having had a project management experience before I dove into analytics full time. There are a lot of project management methodologies that come in handy when sizing an analytics project. Like coming up with data for a BRD.

A Business Requirements Document (BRD) includes explicit specifications of how data should be used to solve a business problem and how much it should cost depending on what it is expected to achieve.

The main goal is to deliver actionable insights by taking into consideration the data, the time allocated and the needs of the end user/audience.

The BRD must be universally agreed upon by all stakeholders involved.

The author of the BRD must understand the business processes and the key objectives of the project to ensure proper implementation.

The most important element of a BRD is the scope of the project, which includes any restrictions and constraints that need to be considered during the development process.

What is the problem that the organization needs to solve?
What are the restrictions that need to be considered?
Is the time and money invested in solving the problem worthwhile?

So for our analytics moonshot of upskill training half a million Filipinos in the next five years, we need to start with a project management approach. So here are some considerations for our BRD:

The organization (AAP.PH) and its growing legion of partners needs to facilitate the large scale training of 100,000’s of Filipinos with Data Science and Analytics (DSA) skills in the very near future. If we succeed, the economic growth of the Philippines will have a much higher chance of continued to success in a world besieged by changes from new technologies. If we fail, then I see the change of continued economic growth and prosperity being much harder of achieve here in my adopted home. So we start our scope with the audacious goal: upskill train 500,000 Filipinos to be DSA enabled professionals by the year 2022.
There are many restrictions that we need to consider. Not enough experts able and willing to conduct the trainings. Not enough schools able to educate students in DSA skills. Not enough teachers with DSA knowledge. Lack of awareness among decision-makers in government, in business and in academia. The diversity of needs, with skill requirements all across the spectrum from simple reporting using excel to complex data science and predictive analytics, Nationalism and attempts to slow or reverse globalization, most interested parties work independently and there is little history of collaboration, and on and on… The only way to address all of these restrictions is share stories based on data to compel Filipinos to become part of our advocacy. The data behind why we need to get better at data is clear, its the acceptance of what the data tells us and using even more data to guide our decision-making that we need to make clear.
What ever time and money investments made into this advocacy will have amazing benefits. Maybe we can’t save all call center jobs from being threatened by A.I., but we can save a lot. Maybe we can’t turn every school into an engine that produces DSA skills graduates ready to contribute day one, but we can empower a lot. And maybe we can’t help every Filipino business infuse for DSA into their processes, but we an help 1,000’s. The time is now, The money is there. We just need to line things up so that our moonshot succeeds. And when we do, the Philippines will be a world hub for analytics unlike any other nation, primed and ready to deliver world class DSA services both domestically and abroad.