Better data solutions starts with great discovery processes.
Our Data Exploration Starts with Collaborative Discovery
We dig into technical infrastructure and limitations.
We explore overall business objectives and metrics.
We identify insights needed and day-to-day pain points.
We review reporting and analysis requirements.
Collaborative approach
We meet stakeholders where they are. We’ll go deep into the technical details with your engineers and we’ll focus more on strategy and use cases with your non-technical stakeholders.
Experience, not assumptions
We use our experience to craft recommendations based on your organization’s needs. We are tool agnostic and will help you implement cost-effective, adaptable infrastructure.
Comprehensive summary
We capture your data needs and our recommendations in a report designed to be read by a wide range of stakeholder groups. Our clients often share the discovery report with their investors, leadership, engineers, analysts, and stakeholders.
Seamless transition to implementation
The same Axacraft Data team members that partner with you during the discovery phase will lead your implementation, and they'll have all the context needed to hit the ground running.
Our process
We start with a discovery to uncover desired capabilities across the organization, and make recommendations on the data infrastructure required to deliver those capabilities.
Kick-Off
Meet your Axacraft Data engagement team! Our engagement teams are made up of managers, data analysts, analytics engineers, and data engineers.
Stakeholder Reviews
We'll interview technical and non-technical stakeholders across the business to understand their business goals and how they use (or would like to use) data.
Tech & Analysis
We'll review the current systems supporting and consuming data -- this can be cloud data platforms, on premise infrastructure, or spreadsheets.
Organization
Review the structure, responsibilities, and capability levels of the team, as well as how data work is planned, prioritized and delivered.
Synthesize
We'll identify key themes from stakeholder interviews and our discovery process, and create recommendations tailored to your organization’s goals.
Report
We'll deliver an editable report and present findings to relevant stakeholder groups.
What are examples of things that might be involved in the data discovery process?
Stakeholder Interviews:
- Engage with key stakeholders across departments (e.g., sales, marketing, finance, operations) to understand their data needs, challenges, and current processes.
- Identify the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are crucial for each department.
Data Inventory & Audit:
- Catalog all data sources, including databases, CRM systems, e-commerce platforms, marketing tools, and third-party integrations.
- Assess the quality of data in each source: completeness, accuracy, consistency, and timeliness.
- Identify any data silos, redundancies, or gaps.
Data Flow Analysis:
- Map out how data flows through the organization, from collection to storage to utilization.
- Understand the lifecycle of data, including how it's captured, processed, stored, and retired.
Data Governance Assessment:
- Review current data governance policies and practices.
- Assess compliance with data protection regulations (e.g., GDPR, CCPA).
- Identify areas where data governance can be strengthened.
- Technology & Tool Evaluation:
- Review the current tech stack, including data storage solutions, analytics tools, and data integration platforms.
- Identify any outdated systems or tools that need replacement or upgrading.
Skillset & Training Assessment:
- Evaluate the data literacy and skill levels of staff across departments.
- Identify training needs or areas where additional expertise might be required.
Data Visualization & Reporting:
- Review current reporting and dashboard solutions.
- Assess the effectiveness of current visualizations in conveying insights to stakeholders.
Customer Data Analysis:
- Dive deep into customer data to understand purchasing behaviors, preferences, and pain points.
- Identify opportunities for personalization, segmentation, and targeted marketing.
- Competitive Benchmarking:
- Compare the company's data practices and capabilities with industry benchmarks or competitors.
- Identify areas of competitive advantage or areas that need improvement.
Recommendation & Roadmap:
- Based on the findings, develop a prioritized list of recommendations to address identified challenges and gaps.
- Create a roadmap for implementing these recommendations, including timelines, resources, and expected outcomes.
Feedback & Iteration:
- Share the findings and recommendations with stakeholders for feedback.
- Refine the roadmap based on feedback and any new insights that emerge.
By following this comprehensive data discovery process (or at least aligned parts of it), you'll gain a deep understanding of the your current data landscape, challenges, and opportunities. This will set the stage for a data-driven transformation that can propel the e-commerce business to new heights.
Learn more about the data services we provide after the discovery process.
FAQs
Discovery typically take between 2 and 8 weeks depending on your organization size and the scope of the discovery.
The final output of the discovery is an editable report (Microsoft Word or Google Docs). We are happy to create additional outputs, such as a slide-based presentation if needed.
We view discovery and implementation as two tightly integrated phases of a single project. In order to enable a smooth transition between the phases we require all discoveries to be paired with an implementation.
We suggest starting a project when you begin to feel the limitations of your current data capabilities. This could take the form of data discrepancies, manual workflows, limits in reporting granularity, or the inability to personalize marketing.