On building a successful data team

Women in Data — Philadelphia was launched in February 2019 with a larger goal of an increasing diversity of gender, skillsets and knowledge within our local tech community. We had one wish: to build an inclusive community of data nerds where all genders, all schools of thought and all career paths are welcomed.

As time passed, we realized that our organization is not only a place where likeminded individuals network, but also a sanctuary of acceptance and support for each other’s professional dreams.

We are ending our first year with 600+ members, six organizational partners, five university and research partners, and numerous nonprofit partners supporting us during our highs and lows. We hear success stories of our members finding jobs and building their network at our events. We are ending 2019 with gratitude in our hearts and a promise to keep serving our community.

In 2019, we hosted events focused on various job opportunities within the data industry; best practices to build resumes; workshops focused to teach our members RStudio, Python, Tableau and negotiation skills; and best practices within data ethics.

Women in Data — Philadelphia’s December event, “Building a perfect data team,” will be a culmination of the lessons we learned throughout the year. It will focus on cultivating an effective data culture in an organization, regarding both the skill sets necessary for data practitioners and the best practices the broader organization can follow to help the analytics team succeed. This event will be livestreamed for our Vancouver, Dallas and Phoenix Women in Data communities.

Harvard Business Review recently published an article on data science and art of persuasion, covering the practices required for a successful data team:

• Foster critical thinking — Data science is also considered to be the art of consulting. One of the toughest tools to nurture within a data team is the ability of the team to ask the right questions. These technologists must question their own biases and display a healthy degree of skepticism.
• Invest in training — According to another HBR article, an average individual undergoing training will outperform 73% of individuals in the “non-training” group. Our local Women in Data communities are a great source for training talent and providing knowledge resources.

There is a huge debate going on in the data science community about the importance of a being generalist vs. a specialist. As the world progresses, the use of data is going to increase, and with that the importance of building a successful data team. With this year-end event, we will bring together speakers coming from different schools of thought to discuss case studies.

Who should attend this event?

• Local data and tech companies looking to gain access to a diverse talent pool
• Students and professionals interested in learning about important skills and the kind of experience required to be successful within the data world
• Organizations willing to implement best practices for their analytical teams
• Data pros looking to network with industry experts

Who can sponsor this event?

• Organizations looking to promote their products
• Organizations looking to hire/network with the data top talent in Philadelphia

As for speakers, we will have a senior leader from IBM, our sponsor, who will be talking about the recent trends in the data world and share top skills that are required.

We have one other speaker spot open. Please email us at philadelphiachapter@widusa.com if you are interested in speaking at this event.

Here are the need-to-know logistics:

• Date — Thursday, Dec. 12
• Time — 5 to 8:30 p.m.
• Venue — TBD

Snacks and drinks (alcoholic and non alcoholic) will be provided.

Agenda:

• 5 to 5:30 p.m — Registration
• 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. — Speaker 1, from IBM
• 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. — Speaker 2, TBD
• 7:30 to 8 p.m. — Networking