«You bring in the knowledge of what works in real life and what doesn’t. That is actually what you are being paid for.»

With a year behind him as a solo entrepreneur in his own company, Datakor Consulting, Juha Korpela takes us on a journey through fact-finding-missions at what he calls "the middle layer" of organizations — the strategic area between high-level business strategy and tactical project execution. It is here, he believes, that data consultants can create the most significant and lasting value.

We discuss the pitfalls of standardized frameworks and "blueprint" approaches offered by many consulting firms, and why tailored solutions based on a deep understanding of organizational culture always yield better results. Juha shares his methods for knowledge transfer that ensure organizations can continue succeeding with their data work long after the consultant has left the project.

Here are Winfried´s key takeaways:

Skills

• The key skill as a data consultant, no matter if on a strategic or solution, project level is to understand «what the customer really needs.»
• The key skills are:
   
  • Listening. Active listening is the key to understanding.
  • Create mental models: when talking to stakeholder you need to be able to put the information you capture together in a mental model.
  • Understanding.
  • Tech comes after.
• Working with data modeling is about listening to stories about how business work. Understanding business processes are key.
• Understanding stories about business and what is relevant for data modeling is a skill that everyone can profit from, but that is seldom taught.
• Data Modeling is a fact-finding-mission.
• It is about understanding what the organization does, how it does things, and where this could be improved.

Impact

• A data consultants impact is dependent on the organization, the structure, and the level of maturity.
• If there is a CDO or CIO to connect to it can be a good way to create results and visibility.
• Also as a data consultant it is important find a place in the organization where you have shared views and understanding.
• If you begin bottom-up you need to be ready to sell this upwards in the organization.

Limits

• Consultants can help with the initial projects to get you started.
• Consultants can help figuring out processes and operating model and design what is needed.
• Organizations need to create long-term ownership in house.
• Running and maintaining needs to fit with the organizations culture, its s structure, needs, maturity, etc.
• Models, blueprints, frameworks that you get from the outside can get you started, but do not work in the long run.

Patterns

• Data Consultants can see certain patterns emerging across an industry.
• That knowledge on patterns, lessons learnt, experiences is valuable to apply.
• That knowledge you bring in is what defines your value, more than specific skills.
• It is easy for people in organizations to get stuck. Consultants can help as a fresh wind.

Knowledge transfer

• As a consultant you bring in new knowledge, and you need to account for that organizations want to transfer that knowledge to internals.
• Find ways to create custom training packages to facilitate knowledge sharing.
• You aim for the organization to succeed with their work, also after the consultants are gone.

Consultant aaS

• Do we move from being consultants to becoming a service offering?
• Service models can crate a distance between consultants and clients.
• You need to have a clear understanding the impact of models that include ownership and responsibility transfer as eg. Outsourcing operational tasks.