| |JULY 20239CIOReview· Offering online training Enrolling in degree programs is neither feasible nor desirable for everyone, but online training has become much more robust, especially during the pandemic. There are many effective and affordable offerings in this space.· Offering instructor-led trainingWhile more challenging to scale cost-effectively, instructor-led training is probably the most effective form of training for most analysts. This option requires a greater commitment of time and funding than many others, and determining those for whom it is most appropriate will take some thought.· Creating a data dictionary/metadata repositoryAnalysts are sometimes asked to analyze data that they cannot precisely define, or possibly worse, build predictive models using that data. Defining key data elements in a centralized, easy to use and accessible format is critical. At a previous employer of mine, I was on an analytics project team consisting of forty people. We wasted two weeks working on a piece of that project almost entirely because we were not defining the relevant terms consistently. We stopped spinning our wheels once we realized that, and then used consistent definitions thereafter. It was a costly lesson. While it is possible to succeed without a centralized repository for this information, having one increases speed to market, decreases waste and frustration, and reduces the risk of supplying incorrect information to decision makers.· Adjusting workload to allow time for upskillingThis is the bottom line, where organizations can show that they really "get it." Yes, every hour spent on upskilling is an hour not spent on "real work", but with an effective upskilling program, one hour of real work today might need only thirty minutes of work in the future. Upskilling must be viewed as an investment in the organization, and the required time must be competitively prioritized against other activities. A realistic cost-benefit analysis of the program can seize the opportunity for decisionmakers, and ideally will convince them of the advantages of a formal upskilling program.· Recognizing teachers, including those without formal teaching responsibilitiesFinally, those who teach must be recognized for the value they add to the organization by helping others work more effectively and expanding their capabilities. This is especially important for highly knowledgeable analysts who are not in a formal training role. Penalizing them for spending time helping others instead of devoting all their time and effort to their "real work" is detrimental to the organization. Instead, recognize them for their expertise and make training others part of their "real work", to be prioritized along with their other responsibilities.Manycost-effective educational options exist for improving an organization's return on their analytics investment, and most of them scale very well. Most of these options have the added benefit of transforming individual analysts into a more cohesive analytical community. Once the commitment is there, gradual implementation of these options is relatively straightforward. Relying on external hiring alone to address skill gaps is cost-prohibitive, especially in today's job market, so developing internal talent is a necessity, and a systematic upskilling program is the best method to accomplish that
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