{"id":5374,"date":"2021-04-07T17:30:25","date_gmt":"2021-04-07T16:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theoaklandgroup.co.uk\/?p=5374"},"modified":"2021-04-07T17:30:25","modified_gmt":"2021-04-07T16:30:25","slug":"how-to-implement-a-data-engineering-strategy-for-your-project-analytics-initiative","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/weareoakland.com\/blog\/how-to-implement-a-data-engineering-strategy-for-your-project-analytics-initiative\/","title":{"rendered":"How to implement a data engineering strategy for your project analytics initiative"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In this third article of our Project Analytics series, we expand on the team roles we introduced in our last article by explaining how everything comes together to build the data engineering requirements of a Project Analytics initiative.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h1><strong>Getting to grips with the reality of project data\u00a0<\/strong><\/h1>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">If\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">you&#8217;re<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0focused on delivering Project Analytics, sooner or later, you will have to address both the data availability and project processes.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">When it comes to data,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">we&#8217;re<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0all familiar with the concept of &#8216;rubbish-in, rubbish-out&#8217;.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In an ideal world, you would have a single repository of clean data, but within the project world, this &#8216;single version of the truth&#8217; remains elusive for a variety of reasons:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Lack of consistent technology, data standards, and processes within organisations<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Fragmented supply chains across suppliers and partners<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Different requirements between customers and stakeholders<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"1\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Lack of cross-referencing between systems means they can&#8217;t be joined-<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">up<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Issues like these create a culture where there is a begrudging acceptance that the data will need to be manually joined up before it can be analysed.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Once you start manipulating the data, you soon notice how bad the data quality is, which requires even more manual effort to get it cleaned before it can be joined up ready for analytical processing.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Building your Single View of Project Data Analytics\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">When building a single view of the data, you\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">don&#8217;t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0always need to move all your data into one system, but it does need to be feasible to link up data (via cross-referenced identifiers) from across multiple systems.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For many organisations, the &#8216;big corporate&#8217; approach is often to invest in a single analytics tool and implement a &#8216;big bang&#8217; initiative that builds out the analytics capability in one push. In theory, this is great when it works, but from our experience, these &#8216;big bang&#8217; approaches are often:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Expensive and slow to deliver, hindering tactical exploitation of the here and\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">now<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Difficult to pin down requirements before project\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">kick-off<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Prone to a high failure rate<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"2\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Impacted by an &#8216;<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/majorprojects.org\/blog\/project-analytics-getting-to-know-your-data\/\"><span><span data-contrast=\"none\">imagination gap<\/span><\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">&#8216; between the project analytics strategists and those who understand the data at a granular\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">level<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">We recommend a more incremental (Agile) approach so that you can get stakeholders excited and moving quickly whilst de-risking the project by only delivering what you need at each phase.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">From a technical perspective,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">we&#8217;ve<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0found the Agile approach to be flexible enough to align with the changing landscape of the business. By building incrementally, you get to deliver immediate value whilst contributing to any longer-term &#8216;<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">supertanker<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">&#8216; data and technology programs coming down the line.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">To create an Agile approach in this way requires the type of data team we introduced in the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/majorprojects.org\/blog\/project-analytics-getting-to-know-your-data\/\"><span><span data-contrast=\"none\">second article of this series<\/span><\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, combined with the data engineering strategy you&#8217;re going to learn in the rest of this article.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Designing your data engineering platform\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Firstly,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">you&#8217;re<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0going to need to know your data, a topic we covered in last week&#8217;s article. As discussed, you need to pay close attention to your data processes and any discovered issues.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">It helps if you are focused on discovering and resolving smaller problems initially to demonstrate that Project Analytics is achievable and delivers value, so be selective with your battles.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">You will need to weigh up the benefits against the risks and consistently illustrate the benefit of Project Analytics, even if stakeholders are not explicitly asking for proof.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Starting from the right point\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Knowing the maturity of your systems and associated data processes is vital for understanding where to start your Project Analytics journey.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">You can use the following grid to help establish your starting point based on your system and data process maturity. Elon Musk may have made the goal of &#8216;moon shots&#8217; popular \u2013 but we find that measured improvements from an agreed starting point make more\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">sense :<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5375\" src=\"https:\/\/weareoakland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/system-maturity.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"437\" height=\"302\" \/><\/p>\n<h2><strong>Designing your data architecture for the future\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Selecting an architecture is not straightforward because\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">you&#8217;ll<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0likely have to choose between:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Arial,Times New Roman\" data-listid=\"3\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Adopting a &#8216;big corporate&#8217; Business Intelligence\/Data Analytics platform<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Arial,Times New Roman\" data-listid=\"3\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Software vendors who claim their project tool &#8216;has all the analytics you&#8217;ll ever need&#8217; (but is likely to be lacking in key areas)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<ol>\n<li data-leveltext=\"%1.\" data-font=\"Arial,Times New Roman\" data-listid=\"3\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Build a flexible data architecture and analytics platform that allows you to ingest data from across internal and external systems, using a suite of tools (right tool for the right job)<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Our preferred option is the third approach \u2013 creating a flexible architecture. It\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">doesn&#8217;t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0lock you into a particular project analytics\/software vendor, and it also allows you to build incrementally.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Whichever option you go for, you must have the relevant expertise on your project to make the right choices.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"none\">Sample architecture for building out a Project Analytics platform<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The following diagram is a standard architectural blueprint based on a Microsoft design for ingesting, processing, and presenting your Project Analytics data:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:240,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-5376\" src=\"https:\/\/weareoakland.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/Data-Engineering-Final-comp-scaled.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"2560\" height=\"1023\" \/><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Because it&#8217;s a combination of Microsoft and\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">open source<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0technologies, none of it requires proprietary project software, so you&#8217;re not tied into any specialist vendors.\u202f<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Being Microsoft, this architecture also integrates with all the popular data formats, including the most common of all, Microsoft Excel.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">We find it offers a flexible and relatively straightforward Project Analytics architecture because:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">It&#8217;s future-proof \u2013 Microsoft present zero risks of becoming\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">defunct<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">IT and technical teams rarely object to it and are comfortable with maintaining the different\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">elements<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">If you&#8217;re using Microsoft already, it will fit right into your corporate IT strategy and support\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">structures<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"4\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Expertise is widely available and easy to\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">find<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><i><span data-contrast=\"none\">Please note: Similar architectures are also available for Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Google Cloud if your organisation does not wish to build on Microsoft architecture. Contact us for details of alternative approaches.<\/span><\/i><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">The key thing to remember is that these architectures are easy to understand conceptually, but you can get lost if\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">it&#8217;s<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0the first time your project team have built this type of architectural design.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Data architectures like this are no different from any other major projects discipline. If you\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">don&#8217;t<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0have the knowledge in-house, you should first seek the right level of external expertise, then build up your internal capabilities over time.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">For those new to this type of architecture, here is a simplified overview of each component:<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"1\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Azure Data Factory:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">A cloud-based data integration service that allows you to build data pipelines and workflows that ingest, process, and export data from a vast\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">amount<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0of systems and databases.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"2\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Azure Data Lake:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0A cloud-based repository for housing your Project Analytics information in an accessible,\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">secure<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0and flexible format.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"3\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Azure Data Bricks:<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0An analytical tool that allows you to accomplish anything from simple reporting and presentation, all the way through to machine learning analytics.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Azure Synapse Analytics\/Analysis Services<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">: Think of these as providing a scalable repository for housing cleansed and prepared data ready for the business to analyse, along with the necessary services to let you govern, deploy, test, and deliver the final analytics data.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"5\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"4\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Power BI:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">The extremely popular suite of business intelligence tools for providing reports and detailed analyses securely across the\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">organisation<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"none\">Considerations for purchasing a separate Project Analytics solution<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Some organisations will undoubtedly opt to go down a separate path and procure a different product or tool to deliver their Project Analytics initiative.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">If so, be sure that the technology can deliver what the sales literature claims.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">You will be changing source\/target systems over time, so how will your proposed analytical solution cope, and what are the risks of getting locked into a single vendor?<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Architectures such as the one above, and Amazon Web Services (AWS), promote \u2018decoupling\u2019 and open configurations that allow improved solutions to be \u2018slotted in\u2019 over time to enhance performance, reduce costs, and deliver a better overall customer experience.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">Despite the naysayers, it is hard to compete with the benefits provided by modern cloud solutions.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Project Analytics journey so far, and the next\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">steps<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559738&quot;:360,&quot;335559739&quot;:120,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In this series, we started off by examining the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/majorprojects.org\/blog\/the-evolution-of-project-analytics\/\"><span><span data-contrast=\"none\">evolution of Project Analytics<\/span><\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, how it is benefitting the Major Projects sector, and some foundational principles for getting started.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In the\u00a0<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/majorprojects.org\/blog\/project-analytics-getting-to-know-your-data\/\"><span><span data-contrast=\"none\">second article in this series<\/span><\/span><\/a><span data-contrast=\"none\">, we examined the skills required to deliver effective Project Analytics and the steps required when building a case for smarter Project Analytics.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">This article explained how to demonstrate the viability of your data analytics platform and explored\u00a0<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">what\u2019s<\/span><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0required to showcase some early benefits.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-contrast=\"none\">In the fourth article, you will learn how to extend a Project Analytics pilot into a production-ready solution that is fit for the future.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:240}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In this third article of our Project Analytics series, we expand on the team roles we introduced in our last article by explaining how everything comes together to build the data engineering requirements of a Project Analytics initiative.\u00a0 Getting to grips with the reality of project data\u00a0 If\u00a0you&#8217;re\u00a0focused on delivering Project Analytics, sooner or later,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5399,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[22,6,191,287,257,258,233],"class_list":["post-5374","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-insights","tag-data","tag-data-analytics","tag-intelligent-forecasting","tag-major-projects-association","tag-project-data","tag-project-data-analytics","tag-project-management"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.2 (Yoast SEO v27.2) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How To Implement A Data Engineering Strategy | Oakland<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Our third piece for the Major Projects Association looks at how to build the data engineering requirements of a Project 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