Building the rhythm of the business of data

As you organize your team, another priority you must address early on is establishing the rhythm of the business of data. In all of the data programs I have led, I have underappreciated the importance of this early on and have had to learn from the consequences. While you are coming into your role and listening to the business, your team, and working on your strategy, your team is still working on…something. It is critical that you get your arms around what is happening within your team while you are working with your peers and senior executives to understand the priorities of the company and for the future of your team.

I recommend assigning someone on the team the task of building an inventory of the programs, projects, and business-as-usual (BAU) work that is occurring across your organization. A program leader or chief of staff is a great person to tap into to lead this effort. In my experience, program management is often not...