In a recent survey, 79 percent of government agency participants said they were “not a data expert, but could use a spreadsheet.”
While most agency employees do not need to be experts, they do need to become comfortable with the basics of data, as data-driven decision-making has become a priority for government organizations at all levels.
Taking a closer look at collected data can lead to better-informed decisions, saving time and money while improving service delivery: the heart of every agency mission. But data is only helpful if a person can read, analyze and wield it.
Agencies must ensure that data and data tools are accessible and useful to non-data experts, as there won’t always be a scientist on hand to analyze information. Anyone using data needs to be trained on how data can apply to the questions they need answered.
“Workers should be able to say, ‘I may never be a classically trained data scientist with a Ph.D. in statistics that knows how to code, but I’m pretty good at what I do because I know what data I can leverage or need to leverage, I know what questions to ask, I have the domain expertise. Give me the tools to pull all that together, apply my data, my data literacy, my data skills and create an analysis that’s really going to propel my agency forward,’” said Andy MacIsaac, Director of Solutions Marketing, Public Sector at Alteryx.
To learn how agencies can help every employee understand and utilize essential information, take a look at this report, which dives into how to enhance basic data skills.