Summary: How to Train Your Analytics Translators
Analytic Translator (Analytics Connector) training is one of the most important analytics investments a company can make, because companies seldom capture the full value of analytics without capable translators. The key to training a translation workforce is a multitiered progression, in which employees study concepts in a classroom before mastering new skills through apprenticeships. Translators connect the theory and the practice of analytics; their training courses must do the same.— Harvard Business Review, February 2019
Below is a summary of the McKinsey work “How to Train Your Analytics Translators”. This posting contains highlights from that article and insights into the importance of training Analytics Connectors:
- Analytics Translators (Analytics Connectors) perform some of the most essential functions for integrating analytics capabilities in a company. They define business problems that analytics can help solve, guide technical teams in the creation of analytics-driven solutions to these problems, and embed solutions into business operations. It’s specialized work, calling for strong business acumen, some technical knowledge, and project management and delivery chops.
- In the face of competitive pressure, companies cannot wait to work with analytics on a large scale. Translators can help businesses climb the analytics learning curve quickly and roll out more use cases than they might otherwise.
- It is all too common for executives to assume that employees can act as effective translators, capable of delivering analytics solutions, once they complete a class on the rudiments of modeling. Translators can master their trade only by observing seasoned colleagues at work and then working on actual problems with expert guidance.
- Existing business staff often make better translators than do new hires because they have an important quality that is hard to teach: knowledge of a business domain where analytics will be applied. To put this another way, business operations are the typical translator’s “mother tongue.”
- In addition to business acumen, other qualities companies should look for in internal translator candidates include comfort working with numbers, project-management skill, and entrepreneurial spirit. Training curricula can then concentrate on the technical knowledge and practical methods that translators need.
- The first stage of a translator-training program should equip employees with fundamental analytics knowledge: a basic understanding of how analytical techniques can help solve typical business problems, as well as general familiarity with the process of developing analytics use cases.
- Translators also need the technical depth to hold their own when discussing problem-solving approaches with data scientists.
- An analytics use case follows an end-to-end process that is applicable to a wide range of business problems. The translator first helps define a business problem and “translates” it to data scientists in technical terms.
- Most translators learn the delivery process through classroom or online study and then master it during apprenticeships.
- (McKinsey’s) experience suggests that translators spend six to 12 months in training.
How Can Our Company Help?
Our company, Analytics Connector, LLC, provides training and coaching services to enable Analytics Connectors (Translators):
- For self-service learners, our Analytics Connector Academy provides a self-service training approach with content to assist in your development as an Analytic Connector within your organization.
- For a more custom approach, our Analytics Connector Coaches can provide a more individualized approach to develop the skills needed for Analytics Connectors. Coaches help to personalize and customize coaching and training for one-on-one, group-based, and corporate training programs for skills development.
Who Can Benefit from Our Training and Coaching?
All of our coaching and training is designed to improve your ability to visualize, interpret, translate, communicate and implement analytical information. Analytics Connector Coaches and the Analytics Connector Academy provide coaching and training to Analytics Connectors as well as Analytics Professionals, Line Managers and Business Executives.
