The demand for skilled professionals in NZ is on the rise, with a recent PwC Report stating that CEO’s are concerned about the skills gap across their employees, especially when it comes to technical expertise. In fact, the majority of CEO’s (83%) report they have a skills shortage within their organisation and 76% specify a lack of technical capabilities as a key barrier to business transformation.
Data Migrations are enablers of the transformation these CEO’s desire. The complexity of these projects means they have large time and resource pressures and are prone to errors if not handled with knowledge. This is where professional services can play a key role. Either to fill capability gaps or to top up a project team, plugging in project management and analyst expertise can provide the assurance your project requires.
The need for specialist expertise in Data Migration
Data Migration involves transferring data from one system to another, whether it’s upgrading to a new software platform, consolidating databases or transitioning to a cloud-based infrastructure. Each step of the process can face challenges such as data quality issues, compatibility issues between systems, data security concerns and possible disruption to business operations.
This is why the right knowledge, skills and experience make a difference. Plugging in the capability that is responsible for specific initiatives within the project can enhance productivity, keep the project on time and deliver a successful, fully reconciled migration.
The role of the Data Project Manager
Project Managers oversee the entire data migration process, from planning and scoping to execution and monitoring. A skilled Project Manager is the captain of the ship, steering the project towards its objectives while keeping stakeholders informed and engaged. In the context of data migration, a project manager plays a crucial role in the following areas.
Planning and Strategy: Developing a comprehensive migration strategy, defining project scope and objectives, and creating a roadmap for execution.
Risk Management: Identifying potential risks and challenges early on and implementing mitigation strategies to minimise disruptions.
Resource Allocation: Allocating resources effectively, including human resources, budget, and technology infrastructure, to ensure smooth execution.
Stakeholder Communication: Maintaining open communication channels with stakeholders, providing regular updates on project progress, and addressing any concerns or issues that may arise.
Quality Assurance: Implementing rigorous quality assurance processes to ensure data integrity, accuracy, and completeness throughout the migration process.
The right project management expertise will enhance the projects visibility across the organisation and ultimately, achieve successful outcomes for the data migration.
How Analyst expertise delivers data insights
An Analyst role is more specific and depends on the particular area of focus. In general, they know and understand data, including how to identify, profile, map, cleanse, and reconcile. They can analyse data sets, identify patterns and derive actionable insights. Both data and business analysts bring a unique set of skills to the table, enabling organisations to make informed decisions based on data-driven evidence.
In the context of a data migration, analysts contribute to the project in the following way.
Data profiling and cleansing: Analysing existing data sets to identify inconsistencies, errors, and duplicates, and cleansing data to ensure accuracy and integrity.
Mapping and Transformation: Mapping data fields between source and target systems and developing transformation rules to ensure data compatibility and consistency.
Performance Monitoring: Monitoring data migration processes in real-time, identifying bottlenecks and performance issues, and optimising processes for efficiency.
Data validation and testing: Conducting thorough validation and testing of migrated data to ensure adherence to business rules, data quality standards, and regulatory requirements.
Post-migration analysis: Analysing post-migration data to measure the effectiveness of the migration process, identify any areas that require improvement and the use of learnings to inform future decision-making.
Investing in Success
A large factor in the surge in demand for professionals with technical skills is the growing importance of data-driven decision-making, and the proliferation of transformation initiatives across industries. Data migration is a key to unlocking these initiatives, yet it can be a challenging endeavour at the best of times without the additional pressure of finding the right people for the job.
That’s why Data Sauce offer Professional Services for organisations to top up teams and plug in specialists where required. It’s a solution that is fast and efficient, allowing the project to get moving and for the transformative benefits to be delivered. We have a range of professionals ready to go, so get in touch. We’d love to help.