Database Reference
In-Depth Information
project sponsor, or someone designated by that person, to create a business case
to advocate for the pilot and subsequent deployment of this functionality. In other
words, the data science team can assist in this effort by putting the results of the
modeling and data science work into context to help assess the actual value and
cost of implementing this work more broadly.
When presenting to a technical audience such as data scientists and analysts, focus
on how the work was done. Discuss how the team accomplished the goals and the
choices it made in selecting models or analyzing the data. Share analytical methods
and decision-making processes so other analysts can learn from them for future
projects. Describe methods, techniques, and technologies used, as this technical
audience will be interested in learning about these details and considering whether
the approach makes sense in this case and whether it can be extended to other,
similar projects. Plan to provide specifics related to model accuracy and speed,
such as how well the model will perform in a production environment.
Ideally, the team should consider starting the development of the final
presentation during the project rather than at the end of the project as commonly
occurs. This approach ensures that the team always has a version of the
presentation with working hypotheses to show stakeholders, in case there is a need
to show a work-in-process version of the project progress on short notice. In fact,
many analysts write the executive summary at the outset of a project and then
continually refine it over time so that at the end of the project, portions of the
final presentation are already completed. This approach also reduces the chance
that the team members will forget key points or insights discovered during the
project. Finally, it reduces the amount of work to be done on the presentation at
the conclusion of the project.
12.2.1 Developing Core Material for Multiple Audiences
Because some of the components of the projects can be used for different
audiences, it can be helpful to create a core set of materials regarding the project,
which can be used to create presentations for either a technical audience or an
executive sponsor.
Table 12.1
depicts the main components of the final presentations for the project
sponsor and an analyst audience. Notice that teams can create a core set of
materials in these seven areas, which can be used for the two presentation
audiences. Three areas (Project Goals, Main Findings, and Model Description), can
be used as is for both presentations. Other areas need additional elaboration, such
as the Approach. Still other areas, such as the Key Points, require different levels of
