What is the Data Science Shop?
the method to the (apparent) Data Science madness!
TL;DR
The Data Science Shop is a roadmap for the operation of Data Science in a business.
The Data Science Shop explains the practice of Data Science, what it can do for your business, how it operates in a company, and what it needs to succeed.
The Data Science Shop details the who, what, where and how of Data Science in a business: it relies on five roles to build four classes of Data Products using three technology environments through an iterative process that involves users and technical teams.
The Data Science Shop is a roadmap to organize how to think about the operation of Data Science in a business.
When people hear about Data Science – or AI, it’s most famous tool – for the first time, they tend to form an incomplete idea of what it is, what it does and how it operates. Executives often think that all they need are a few Data Scientists, or that AI is a plug-and-play tool that can be used in any situation, and they stumble without a roadmap. Even people training to become Data Scientists fail to grasp the complexity of a Data Science operation until their first day on the job.
The Data Science Shop highlights the method to the (apparent) Data Science madness. The flexible, but structured method is anchored in the purpose of Data Science: to build Data Products that solve a need or a problem in a business. To do that, Data Science leverages people, technologies, data, and a process.
I find it useful to explain the Data Science Shop with an analogy: a play on Broadway - there is a who (actors that play well-defined roles), there is a where (sceneries where actors perform), there is a how (stories told through sequences of scenes), and there is a what (plays of any genre that follow this roadmap). Something similar can be said of the Data Science Shop. The intuition is distilled in this animation:
To recap, the Data Science Shop details the who, what, where and how of Data Science in a business:
who – the technical people – beyond Data Scientists – that build Data Products
what – the classes of Data Products that the Data Science Shop can produce
where – the technology environments that the Data Science Shop uses to build Data Products
how – the process that guarantees that the Data Science Shop builds effective Data Products
The key insight from the Data Science Shop is that Data Science relies on five roles to build four classes of Data Products using three technology environments through an iterative process that involves users and technical teams.
It very quickly becomes obvious that Data Science goes beyond the single Data Scientist. To be impactful, Data Science needs people, technologies, data, and process that starts with a crisp definition of the need or problem to solve.
Why is the Data Science Shop even needed?
The Data Science Shop roadmap is needed to ensure that Data Science is impactful and to guarantee a positive return to that investment. How does it do it?
It aligns people behind a common purpose. The Data Science Shop provides the structure that synchronizes businesspeople and Data Science practitioners because it provides a clear understanding of each other’s role. Businesspeople get a clear idea of the purpose and operation of Data Science, and where and how to work together with technical teams to succeed. Data Science practitioners get a clear sense of how their work impacts a business, and how to operate to succeed. It facilitates collaboration for success.
It customizes Data Science to any company. The Data Science Shop is a general-purpose blueprint that can be tailored to the needs, structure, or strategic objectives of any company. The choice of problems to solve using Data Products determines the people, technologies and data that the Data Science Shop will use. It very easily adapts to changes in a company, an industry or the competitive landscape.
It embodies current best practices for success. The Data Science Shop is the product of more than two decades of organic evolution of Data Science across industries outside Tech. Not everyone knows it by this name, but most mature Data Science operations outside of Tech operate using some version of it.
Did we spark your interest? Then also read:
Data Science Shop: why this Project? to learn more about the history behind the creation of the Data Science Shop
What is Data Science? to learn more about the field that continues to revolutionize business