New Year, New Me: Our Data New Year's Resolutions

The podcast discusses New Year's resolutions for data management. One resolution is to improve documentation. Despite being tedious, documentation is crucial because it prevents future issues when changes are needed, especially if the original team is no longer available. Agile methodology is often misunderstood to mean no documentation is needed, but this is not true.

For consultancies, providing good documentation for clients is essential to ensure seamless project continuity. Poor documentation can create significant problems, and clients often hesitate to pay for it due to past bad experiences. However, good documentation saves money in the long run by preventing costly mistakes.

Clear requirements and understanding of data sources are also highlighted as key to successful projects. Spending more time upfront on requirements and data ensures better outcomes and reduces scope changes and delays. Effective communication of requirements, including using presentations and mockups, is vital to ensure everyone understands the project needs.

The discussion also touches on the potential of the Power Platform (Power Apps, Power Automate, and Power BI) to replace unreliable Excel spreadsheets in organizations. Properly implemented Power Platform solutions can offer more reliable alternatives. However, governance is crucial to prevent misuse and ensure these tools are used appropriately. Organizations often lack proper governance, leaving all connectors open, which can lead to unauthorized data transfers.

Overall, the podcast emphasizes the importance of good documentation, clear requirements, effective communication, and proper governance in data management.

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Transcript

Andy:
We're talking about our data New Year's resolutions. Tom, what's yours?

Tom:
My resolution is to do more documentation.

Andy:
That's tedious. Got a better one?

Tom:
No, Andy, it's crucial. Many people misunderstand agile, thinking it means no documentation. They believe, "just make it work," but without documentation, changing things later becomes a nightmare, especially if the original team isn't around. Agile doesn't excuse us from documentation; it's still essential, though perhaps not as comprehensive as in waterfall projects.

Shailan:
Documentation is equally important for consultancies. Clients need good documentation to continue work seamlessly if they or someone else picks it up later. Poor documentation or none at all can create big issues.

Andy:
Quality documentation is crucial. I've seen terrible documentation handed over that's essentially useless.

Shailan:
Exactly. Sometimes, projects end with people pulling their hair out, and the resulting documentation reflects that frustration. It should be detailed and useful, like a good instruction manual.

Tom:
I've seen documentation that, if followed, actually breaks the system. Proper documentation prevents these issues and is worth the investment.

Shailan:
Clients might not want to pay for documentation because of bad past experiences. However, good documentation saves money in the long run by preventing costly mistakes.

Andy:
We should revisit this topic mid-year to see if we kept our resolution.

Shailan:
For consultancies, clear requirements and understanding data sources are key. Poor requirements lead to scope changes and delays. Spending more time upfront on requirements and data ensures better project outcomes.

Andy:
Effective communication of requirements is vital. Just sending documents back and forth isn't enough. Presenting requirements in meetings or mockups helps ensure everyone is on the same page.

Tom:
Agile often gets misinterpreted as making things up as you go along. Proper agile still requires clear initial requirements and documentation.

Andy:
We should discuss how to do agile properly in another episode.

Tom:
Absolutely.

Andy:
For 2024, I want to focus more on the Power Platform. Many organizations rely on shaky Excel spreadsheets for critical processes. Power apps, Power Automate, and Power BI can create more reliable solutions. Despite the challenges, I see a great market for this.

Tom:
Do you think 2024 will see the end of Excel as a primary tool?

Andy:
No, but I hope more organizations adopt better tools. Excel is great but often used inappropriately. Properly implemented Power Platform solutions can offer better alternatives.

Shailan:
Power Automate, in particular, is underutilized. It can streamline many manual processes. We should explore governance for these tools to prevent misuse.

Tom:
Governance is crucial. Without it, tools like Power Automate can become the new Excel, used inappropriately without proper controls.

Andy:
We need to ensure proper implementation with the right safeguards. Training alone isn't enough for effective use of these tools.

Shailan:
Organizations often lack governance, leaving all connectors open in Power Platform. Proper governance can prevent issues like unauthorized data transfers.

Tom:
We should wrap up before we use all our ideas for future podcasts.

Andy:
Agreed. Let's get back to our documentation and requirements. Happy New Year, everyone! We'll be back with another episode soon.