When BI meets IT: Navigating new environment

How can data scientists and IT departments work together most effectively? The W. P. Carey School of Business offers degrees at the undergraduate and graduate level preparing students for positions in data analytics and the information management. And, the heart of the IS department’s programs has always been the business perspective. But Big Data has led companies into a new and still imperfectly understood world.

With corporate success increasingly tied to the strategic use of data, companies are integrating the analytics function more closely with IT — a shift that’s creating challenges within companies. “For example, the traditional way of developing applications or building software is very structured: you go step by step or you have a prescribed agile methodology to create code.

You’re managing projects in pretty well-understood ways,” said Michael Goul, chairman of the Department of Information Systems. “But when you move to the analytics side, you’re into innovation. You are digging through data and you may find something that’s game changing, or you may not find anything. The way you structure those projects is very different from traditional IT. So there’s a friction that’s come about from these competing ways of doing business.”

How can data scientists and IT departments work together most effectively? The W. P. Carey School of Business offers degrees at the undergraduate and graduate level preparing students for positions in data analytics and the information management. And, the heart of the IS department’s programs has always been the business perspective. But Big Data has led companies into a new and still imperfectly understood world.

CIOs can help faculty understand the realities of this new environment, and in a nutshell, that’s why the IS Executive Advisory Board and Executive Council are so important to the department. This month, a group of 16 executives recruited for a variety of companies met with seasoned board members and faculty to learn more about the school, the students and research — and the ways the board and council can help determine direction. Kevin Haskew, Chief Information Officer from On Semiconductor, is one of the new board members.

He says that because IT is constantly changing, companies need to work with local universities to influence the curriculum that is delivered to their future employees. “Our future depends on developing talent — we must offer business experiences to university students in the form of internships, projects and guest lectures,” he commented. Membership on the board includes the added benefit of peer to peer networking in the local community, he added.

The Executive Advisory Board was formed in 2003-2004, the year that the information systems faculty were separated from the School of Accountancy to form a new department. The board now numbers 88 highly placed executives, including 17 C-level officers. Twice a year the board meets to hear updates on the university and the school, and learn about developments in curriculum.

They are always asked to roll up their sleeves to evaluate proposals or brainstorm new ideas. This year, an Executive Council was founded, made up of firms making a financial commitment to the department. These members will have more direct influence over the student experience, and more opportunities to meet with and recruit students and will have opportunities to learn about the very latest faculty research findings.

Department chairman Michael Goul explains the department and the boards mutually benefit from the partnership. The faculty learns the best practices from industry — insights that immediately inform research and curriculum. They build networks and acquire resources that are invaluable to research projects. Students benefit directly from industry input that assures the curriculum is relevant. And the association elevates the reputation of the department and W. P. Carey.

The board members and their companies are able to impact the development of students — their future employees — and the development of research, which shapes the future of their industries. Members get the satisfaction of giving back, while at the same time networking with colleagues from other companies and meeting high potential students. These professionals turn up at some of the most important occasions of a student’s career.

They are guest lecturers in classes, they meet with the DISC club discussing career options, they host field trips, engage interns and hire at graduation. A couple of years ago, the board collaborated with the department on a project that reflects the nature of this partnership: a focus on elevating the profession. Together, they drafted a creed for students as they move into the business world which hangs in prominent places around the departmental offices. It’s called “Championship IT: 10 business culture ideals to live by.”

They are:

1. Get IT done
2. Process + technology = business value
3. Lead the future: innovate through IT
4. Information IS the answer
5. Embrace, evaluate and manage risks
6. Inspire, collaborate and compete
7. Seek out and grab opportunity
8. Challenge the status quo
9. Deliver excellence
10. IT is the future