They Have Got It All Wrong! Why Most Analytics Training Fails.

Four years ago, I was just about the only one speaking professionally in the Philippines about Analytics. Now so called experts are a dime a dozen. The demand for this kind of training has skyrocketed as companies are losing the war for talent all across the globe, with few jobs as hard to fill with good talent as BPO jobs in the Philippines. But these training mostly have it all wrong. They will teach you a lot of technical things that sound great in a class room, but are extremely hard to implement unless you work in an enlightened company that encourages curiosity and empowers data-driven decisions across to organization.

So one big thing right now is using analytics in HR to find more candidates, to hire better candidates, and retain them. Its working in the U.S and all across the globe. This is a direct reflection of overwhelming demand for so called white collar professional jobs The hot answer going around right now to this challenge is sending analysts, managers and leaders to trainings. Hoping they will learn about hot new trends and analytics techniques to get more out of an investment in the company’s analytics plans. However, from my perspective, this is the flavor of the month thinking. And you know what? It’s not going to work.

Why? Good Analytics doesn’t come from just external training and technology. Those two pieces are important to an overall analytics strategy. But the most important piece, and the one being overlooked right now is the business culture. If the business culture is not ready to truly accept a shift towards data-driven decision-making an away from old school methods and decisions made off of gut feel, then the going to one of these trainings wont amount to a hill of beans at the end of the day.

This is why I spend so much of my time talking about culture, and why I expose that analytics is as much art as it is science. You need the technology, which is abundant. You need the talent, which is hard to find but out there. And you need the culture, where you analysts can use the technology to not just build reports and mine big data, but to illustrate opportunities and discover solutions that can really drive the business forward.

That is what you want out of a training on HR analytics. Not just technobabble and reporting tricks, but something that will truly help you mold the culture of your business to get the most out of your analytics.

In closing, I have recently published a guidebook for using analytics in your business. If you are interested in learning more and would like to get a copy of Putting Your Data To Work , connect with me via e-mail at analytics@dmaiph.com

#IamDMAIPH

The Philippines is at the center of the action when it comes to solutions to the global need for analytics. Blessed with a solid foundation of young, educated and English speaking workforce, companies around the world are look for Filipino analytics talent to fill analytics positions.

DMAIPH 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.

Putting Your Data to Work is SOLD OUT! Working on the 2nd Edition Now!

I feel so excited to share with you all that we are now completely sold out of my recent book, Putting Your Data To Work: An Analytics Guidebook for the Filipino Professional.

I am currently working on a 2nd addition with additional images, content and an expanded section on predictive analytics.

If you would like to pre-order a copy of the 2nd Edition, send us an e-mail at analytics@dmaiph and we will add you to the waiting list.

My plan is to have copies available by mid March if not sooner.

Thanks so much to all of you who purchased a copy of the 1st edition. I’m proud to say that we’ve gotten some fantastic feedback from readers that I will incorporate into the new edition.

2017 is the year that Analytics will go mainstream across the Philippines. My book is a great guide for ensuring your organization has a solid analytics foundation as the era of Big Data is upon us.

My Analytics Story – My passion is solving problems by bringing together the best talent, cutting edge technology and tried and true methodologies. DMAIPH is all about empowering people towards better Decision-Making through the use Analytics and business Intelligence. This is what I do best. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly for a free consultation about getting more analytics into your career and your business.

How is Buisness Analytics Used in the Philippines?

Another search result that lead someone to http://www.dmaiph.com

And it is a very good question.

Analytics in the Philippines is something that I have spent the past 6 years trying to champion.

We have come a long way, from where hardly anyone really knew what analytics meant to a time where just about every business is trying to get more analytics in it.

By far the most common use of analytics is management reporting. It’s not uncommon for the Philippines to follow trends in American by 10 years or so.. and this is true when it comes to analytics.

10 years ago I was a business analyst and we were pretty uncommon outside corporate America. But in the time since then we have seen an explosion in analytics jobs and now in data science jobs.

The past year we are seeing that trend here in the Philippines.

There are some great business analysts here in the Philippines who do some pretty amazing things with business intelligence tools. But they are mostly limited to descriptive analytics.

The number of Filipinos who can do advanced analytics like building models and predictive analytics are few and far between.

So as of now, most business analytics focuses on reports. Occasionally I see some amazing data visualizations or complex predictive models, but they are still by far the exception to the norm.

In the coming months you will see more and more trainings and courses built around more advanced types of analytics, but I have to wonder if its almost too little too late.

Time will tell.

Analytics in the Philippines – The Philippines is at the center of the action when it comes to solutions to the global need for analytics. Blessed with a solid foundation of young, educated and English speaking workforce, companies around the world are look for Filipino analytics talent to fill analytics positions.

DMAIPH was set up to facilitate these solutions and bring the talent and the business together. And that is exactly why I wrote Putting Your Data to Work, the first analytics guidebook designed specifically for the Philippines. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly so we can help you take advantage of this unique global opportunity.

Filipino Analytics Talent Demand Awesome Salaries

It’s really hard to get an accurate reading on just where is the market is right now in regards to the salaries for analytics talent in the Philippines.

According to Glassdoor here are some average salary range numbers for several in-demand positions:

Business Analyst (with 5+ year’s experience): 30-40,000 PHP a month
Data Analyst (1+ year’s experience ) 23-27,000 PHP a month
Data Scientist (with Graduate level degree) 58-70,000 PHP a month

Those are just averages, in reality I think they are on the low end of what’s being offered right now.

One thing is for sure, the current demand far outweighs the supply.

Just looking at jobstreet.com you can get a feel for that demand.

Business Analyst pulls back 1,090 jobs in the Philippines.
Data Analyst another 822.
Data Science brings back 999.

Sure there is some overlap, but if you add all the unique jobs up its well over 2,000.

I belong to a meet up group for data science in the Philippines with 2,000 members.

That’s an open job for each of us… and pretty much all of us already have data geek jobs already.

In the near term expect salaries to continue to shoot up.

As nationalism and automation begin to impact customer facing jobs, more back office work like analytics and data science will grow in importance for the BPO sector.

Recently I’ve been hearing stories of Filipinos landing 100K a month jobs in data science. And good analysts are not far behind, being awarded salaries well over 50K a month.

It’s a buyers market if you have data geek skills right now. If you don’t., the time to get them is right now.

Analytics Training – DMAIPH offers a wide range of analytics centric training solutions for professionals and students via public, in-house, on-site, and academic settings. We tailor each training event to meet the unique needs of the audience. If you need empowerment and skills enhancement to optimize the use of analytics in your organization, we are here to help. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to set up a free consultation to learn which of our DMAIPH analytics training solutions is best for you.

Small Business, Big Data

“Without big data, you are blind and deaf and in the middle of a freeway.” Geoffrey Moore – Author of Crossing the Chasm & Inside the Tornado.

Without analytics, your company is vulnerable. However, just owning analytics tools isn’t enough. Extracting value from your analytics investment requires sufficient staff, well-defined processes, a clear business strategy, and leadership support.

All the Data We Create Each Day

Think about some of the things you do in your daily life. You get up, you eat, go to work/school, shop, do something for entertainment, bank, go online and do things on social media. Everything you do generates data. That data is captured in countless ways. And then it’s stored in countless places. And analyzed by countless numbers of people. And then used in countless ways by businesses to market, design, advertise, build, sell, and so on.

Every time you check your phone to see if there are any updates on Facebook you generate a lot of data for your phone manufacturer, your service provider and Facebook itself. Everything you like or comment on can be turned into a data point. The time, place and length of your connection all provide useful data. Get the point? It’s endless.

That’s big data.

In general, big data is thought of as all the data businesses capture and store in a database that they can use for business decision-making.

When you think of data collections that have millions and millions of rows of data like big bank transaction data, or traffic data for major cities, or all the statistics captured everyday across professional sports. Way too much for man to analyze without help from technology. That’s all big data.

Every business defines its big data a little differently. There is no one way to look at how best to manage big data because big data is such a living, evolving, never ending flow of information. It’s like lakes of water that are too big to swim across and too deep to dive to the bottom of without help. And no two lakes are alike.

Small Business Analytics – The field of small business analytics is just starting to blossom as companies are looking for more data-driven decision-making to prosper in the age of Big Data. DMAIPH is at the fore front of providing analytics training, consulting and outsourcing options to small businesses. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to set up a free consultation on how to get more analytics in your small business.

Current Trends in Small Business Analytics

Analytics as a discipline is constantly evolving. Advances in technology allow what was once expensive and difficult to now be at the fingertips of any business user. The goal of analytics is “to turn data into information, and information into insight.” -Carly Fiorina, Former CEO of HP

Fiorina, highlighted some of the key steps in analytics. Reporting turns raw data into information that can be consumed by a company, and through analysis you turn information into insights. Taking her comments one important step further, you need to turn insight into action if you want to progress down the path to value with analytics.

Analytics is constantly evolving, so staying current is paramount to success.

Staying current is all about being strategic in time management. I have to stay up to date on current trends in analytics as well as with new analytics applications and technologies. Besides just staying current for my own benefit, I share relevant updates with my colleagues, clients and followers.

Every few months I devote a day to discover what the current trends in analytics are. I do this both to refresh the slides in my presentation and to refresh my mind to see what I may have missed.

The amount of literature out there on analytics continues to blossom at an amazing rate, making it a true challenge to stay well versed on what’s hot and what’s not. I read a new analytics themed book about once a month and I have well over 200 blogs, web sites and social media groups cataloged. So I like to think I’m pretty well versed on what is current.

If I had to pick 5 current trends in small business analytics to talk about it would be:

(1) Picking a Good Business Intelligence Tool,

(2) Mining Public Unstructured Data,

(3) Mapping Your Business Data Environment,

(4) Centralizing Various Data Sources,

(5) Understanding Data Science and Big Data Analytics.

Every time I go to list the top 5 analytics trends, I find that some things change and some stay the same. Ever since I have been writing about analytics, data visualization is near the top. Business dashboards continue to be a big need. Business Intelligence (BI) tools evolve and new ones’ pop up, but Tableau continues to be a market leader.

Small Businesses who want to optimize the use of analytics need to start with finding a good BI tool to help them make sense of their business data. MS Excel is the most common option to get started with.

Global Demand for Analytics and Data Science Talent

There are not enough analytics experts and data scientists to go around.

I say this a lot.

Just did a quick google search to put some recent data points and commentary to back up what I say.

The mass adoption of big data has seen companies across sectors scramble to hire enough data scientists to glean insights and drive decision making.

A decade ago, explaining data science to employers was challenging. Few people understood the value of a skill set that combines computer science, statistics, operations research, engineering, business insights and strategy and the impact it can have on a business.

But things have changed over the last five years. Not only has the term “data science” become commonplace, but data scientists have become highly sought after in the marketplace

According to a 2015 MIT Sloan Management Review, 40 percent of the companies surveyed were struggling to find and retain the data analytics talent. And the picture is starting to look even bleaker.

International Data Corporation (IDC) predicts a need by 2018 for 181,000 people with deep analytical skills, and a requirement five times that number for jobs with the need for data management and interpretation skills.

A report by McKinsey & Company is frequently referenced, stating that by 2018, the United States alone could face a shortage of 140,000 to 190,000 people with deep analytical skills as well as 1.5 million managers and analysts with the know-how to use the analysis of big data to make effective decisions.

Deloitte’s Analytics Trends 2016 report notes that while there is a rising number of university analytics and data science programs (more than 100 just in the U.S.), they nonetheless can’t crank out enough sufficiently trained people to meet demand.

Consequently, the report recommends that companies should:

Actively recruit on campuses with data analytics programs.
Develop internships and student projects both as a recruiting tool and to groom students for an efficient transition to the general business world and company culture.
Establish meaningful and rewarding career paths with an infrastructure in place most likely to interest and attract new talent.

In a recent blog post, Facebook listed a number of tips for students to prepare for such fields. Chief among them: “Take all the math you can possibly take,” including probability and statistics. (And while you’re at it, the company recommends, make sure you take some computer science, and try to squeeze in engineering, economics, philosophy of knowledge, and the latest brain research, too.)

One of the reasons I am so bullish about 2017, is that appetite for analytics and datas science is through the roof. Finally, everyone is starting to get serious about how to infuse their decision-making with more data.

DMAIPH specializes in empowering and enabling leaders, managers, professionals and students with a mastery of analytics fundamentals. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to find out what we can do to help you acquire the analytics mastery you and your organization need to be successful in today’s data-driven global marketplace.

Sources

http://www.business.com/recruiting/big-data-big-problem-coping-with-shortage-of-talent-in-data-analysis/

https://techcrunch.com/2015/12/31/how-to-stem-the-global-shortage-of-data-scientists/

https://content.pivotal.io/blog/mckinsey-report-highlights-the-impending-data-scientist-shortage

http://www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/digital-mckinsey/our-insights/big-data-the-next-frontier-for-innovation

https://code.facebook.com/posts/384869298519962/artificial-intelligence-revealed/

Most Impactful Ways To Becoming a Great Analyst

As a follow up to a survey I sent to several hundred of my LinkedIn connections a few months back. I sent the survey to connections working with data analytics on a regular basis.

I told them I was talking with a young professional just getting started in his analytics career. During our conversation we discussed what is most important to being a great analyst. I asked for their opinion, of the following ways to learn about analytics, which one has been the most important in your career path?

Formal Education – A degree or certificate in an analytics related field.
Self-Learning – Using trial and error and online resources.
Subject Matter Experts – Being trained/mentored by an expert.
Seminars/Workshops – Attending events to acquire new knowledge.
Technical Training – Attend training on specific technical areas.
Other – Please provide a brief description

Here are some pearls of wisdom from some of the replies I got… keep in mind these are all from well established analytics professionals:

“the most important in my career path is self-learning as most of the things we’re doing like journal reading and implementing algorithms needs less dependency with the people you are working with but requires collaboration with them and this requires you to solve problems by yourself and implement things by yourself but communicate them properly to the people you’re working with.”

If you don’t have the drive to do this, you will be an analyst in name only.

“Self-Learning – Using trial and error and online resources. World changes too fast for any of those others to matter.”

In the 15 years I have been doing analytics without any formal education in data-related fields I can say that this is 100% true. To be a great analyst you have to always been learning.

“your ability to tell the story behind all the numbers will make you an indispensable asset and an outlier in the increasingly growing population of analysts. Management almost always don’t have the time to read all the numbers in tables, spreadsheets, and reports, but they will surely appreciate instantly seeing the big picture presented in a “one-pager” report prepared by analysts. That almost always makes an analyst “great” in the eyes of the report consumers.”

Yes! If what you spend your blood, sweat and tears on does influence decisions, then you are working on the wrong place.

“#2 and #3 have been important. Having a mentor to coach you side by side gives you accountability to progress in your work and learning curve. Naturally, this will push you to self-learn: trying out what you’ve learned and testing.”

Having a mentor is so important to help you get access to the actual learning experiences you need to evolve and excel as an analyst.

“spending time with the consumers of the analytics is especially important. Learning how they look at the data, and/or want to look at the data. What is important to them. What really matters. Too much non-essential information and you’ll loose them. Targeting their needs with relevance and precision will win them.”

Another big point that is often overlooked, if you are spending time producing repots and they don’t take customer insights into account, you have a big blindside.

“The most important thing to being a great analyst is to have a great sense of awareness. For me, self-learning has been the most important.”

I cannot imagine anyone being a great analyst if you didn’t have at least a bit of an ego mixed in with a Superman complex. Great analysts live to fix things.

It’s interesting to note that only 2 of the 50+ replies I got form surveying my LinkedIn connections said formal education is the most important.

jobspicture2

Analytics Survey – DMAIPH conducts quarterly analytics surveys to collect data on current trends in analytics. We specialize in surveys that assess analytics culture and measuring how aligned an organization is to using data and analytics in its decision-making. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to find out more about how DMAIPH can conduct surveys to help you assess the analytics culture in your business.

7 Reasons for Filipinos To Get into Analytics Right Now

Some people ask why did I come to the Philippines.

Why did I leave a great analytics career at Wells Fargo and move 6,000 miles away to set up a business?

Was it just for the money? What really motivated me?

Am I worried about the current political forces that can potentially divide my home country and my adopted country?

Am i really gonna stick it out with the Philippines?

Well the answer to all those questions is simple. For the past 5 years I have worked to help empower Filipinos with more analytics. I will keep doing it as long as I can because I have faith in this country, the Filipino people and my ability to make a difference.

Below are 7 reasons why I believe what I believe. And these have held true for the past 5 years and will most certainly hold true for at least the next 5 years.

7 Reasons for Filipinos To Get into Analytics Right Now

Huge Growth Opportunity
Awesome Salaries
Global Demand
Empowers Curiosity
Technology Driven
Unlock Your Potential
The Sky is the Limit

I will write a series of blog posts with more detail on each of the 7 points, but the bottom line is that for someone like me who has a passion for teaching analytics, there is no where in the world better to be.

The Huge Growth Opportunity of Analytics in the Philippines. I see this an undeniable fact that both global and domestic forces are pushing the Philippines forward to new types of jobs and new skills sets that will likely continue to boom.

The Awesome Salaries Filipino Analytics Professionals Can Earn. There is a lot of money to be made if you are a data geek and the amazing rise in salaries and the salaries being offered to fill new positions are very high. The need for analytics talent is driving a buyer’s market.

The Global Demand for Analytics Talent is Looking at the Philippines Right Now. There just aren’t enough people across the globe who can do analytics well. Like with call centers and with OFWs the Philippines is considered a top potential source of talent.

Filipino Companies Who Get Analytics Empower Curiosity. When you come across a domestic company that understand analytics you find truly engaged employees. They know they are valued because the see the data and it empowers them to be curious and to think outside the box.

Filipinos with an Affinity for Technology are Natural Born Analysts. Social Media, Programming, IT. Computer Science… there are a number of factors at play that imbue the millennial workforce with a penchant for working with data to solve problems.

Analytics Careers in the Philippines can Unlock Your Potential. The need to fill all levels of analytics jobs creates opportunities for quick advancement. It its generally merit based, so the harder you work the more opportunity you can create for yourself.

The Sky is the Limit for Analytics in the Philippines. There is no where to go but up. On both a country wide as well as an individual level, there is really no hard ceiling on what we can do. It really is completely up to us how high we go.

General Analytics – Analytics is the application of using data and analysis to discover patterns in data. DMAIPH specializes in empowering and enabling leaders, managers, professionals and students with a mastery of analytics fundamentals. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to find out what we can do to help you acquire the analytics mastery you and your organization need to be successful in today’s data-driven global marketplace.

Dan Meyer – Speaker Bio

My updated speaker bio… I have several speaking and training events lined up in 2017. There is nothing I love more then being in front of a room full of people hungry to learn more about analytics!

Daniel Meyer is President & 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.

Mr. Meyer is one of the top analytics experts in the Philippines. With a team of over 40 analysts, DMAIPH provides a variety of analytics solutions to companies in the U.S. and Asia. Mr. Meyer is also one of the most sought after public speakers in the country and has personally trained thousands of Filipinos in various analytics functions.

Before setting up his own company, Mr. Meyer worked as a Senior Analytics Consultant for Wells Fargo Bank for 15 years. Mr. Meyer 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.

Mr. Meyer recently published Putting Your Data to Work, an analytics guidebook designed to provide organizations with a solid foundation in using analytics to empower more data-driven decisions.

Mr. Meyer earned a B.A. in History with a minor in International Studies from Sonoma State University and a M.A. in Education with a focus on Student Affairs in Higher Education from the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Analytics Training – DMAIPH offers a wide range of analytics centric training solutions for professionals and students via public, in-house, on-site, and academic settings. We tailor each training event to meet the unique needs of the audience. If you need empowerment and skills enhancement to optimize the use of analytics in your organization, we are here to help. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to set up a free consultation on which of our DMAIPH analytics training solutions is best for you.

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