Building a data strategy for ENV
In the spirit of transparency and candour, the service transformation team publishes reflections on the what and why for the team.
This post is by Henry Ngo, a new(-ish) STB team member.
I joined the Service Transformation Branch last December as the Director of Data Strategy. After almost 6 months, I feel fully settled into the role and ready to share some reflections and thoughts about my role in building a data strategy for the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy.
Reflection: As a data scientist, it has been a big change to go from reading or writing computer code every day for the last 16 years to not even opening a code file for months. Instead, I am spending most of my time learning about what people are doing, what they need to get there, and developing processes to support that. I was doing all of that before too, as a data team lead, but these “meta” projects to self-improve were always squeezed for time. We did them off the side of our desks, or reluctantly put them back on the growing to-do pile when more urgent things came in. So now, it’s been thrilling to be able to fully focus on the more strategic side of data science.
And of course, it is awesome to be part of an amazing multi-disciplinary team. We work well together, and some of us have also made a similar change in their own discipline.
My approach to a data strategy for ENV
In the first few months, I spent my time talking and meeting with data teams across the Ministry and sector to get a feel for the current data climate (haha) in our Ministry. I settled on a pyramid paradigm (below) for our eventual data strategy. There are eight levels, each one dependent on the others below to support what we hope to do with our data: creating insightful analytics to drive good decisions and policy. Seven of these layers come from Hosch (2019) and I added the eighth layer at the very bottom, necessary to support everything else: A strong data culture.
What I learned from meeting all the teams is that ENV has a lot of talent and a lot of data, but everyone feels very siloed. This does not allow us to fully leverage our data and methodology across teams. So, one of the first things we are working on is connecting data folks across the Ministry and building up that culture. Our branch is often thought of connective tissue and that’s how I see my role in the ENV data world. With the newly expanded Data and Digital Delivery Guild, we hope it to be a virtual community for data practitioners across the Ministry and the home for future professional and social events. If this sounds like a community for you, please sign up for the Guild (IDIR required) to be added to the mailing list and MS Teams space.
Data strategy as a cumulation of actions
A data strategy isn’t a single document, but a cumulation of actions that bring us towards our common goal. So, instead of taking a theoretical approach to strategy, we are going to find out what the immediate needs are, find a solution, deliver it and then incorporate it into the larger strategy, one piece at a time.
I followed this pattern myself for my first project: a deep dive into the use cases and differences between the many administrative boundary layers in the Ministry. In producing that deliverable, I met with many different teams across the Ministry and mapped out connections and data usage needs to support the data strategy.
Other things that I have been doing to address other parts of the pyramid include:
- Creating guides and checklists to help teams navigate government processes (e.g. publishing data), best practices and policies
- Coaching teams through data flow improvement processes
- Connecting teams with sector-wide tools for analytics and reporting
- Developing data governance framework to clarify roles and responsibilities
Looking ahead, as I support teams through creation of guides, checklists, and frameworks, they will all become part of the overall data strategy. Bringing in an entire strategy is a big change, and we want teams to directly see the connection between their needs and the new strategy. It also helps us ensure we are building a strategy that meets their needs.
How we support data teams
As the “Data” arm of the Service Transformation Branch, I work with teams on any sort of data, in any format. It could be financial data, program metrics, or scientific environmental lab data. I can support data stored in Excel workbooks or large databases and anything in between.
The type of support includes review of data elements in documents, presentations, or briefing notes; troubleshooting pain points in data flows, especially when collaborating or sharing data; developing best practices for implanting data policies; finding the best tool for the job; and/or supporting data literacy.
My inbox is open for new requests! When you reach out to me, you can expect to have 1–2 meetings with me to understand the problem and talk about possible solutions. The result may be coaching through what happens next, receiving deliverables (e.g. a guide or a review), direction towards learning resources or tools, and when needed, connection to internal and external service delivery teams for a larger solution.
Connecting to the sector and across government
Although my role is in the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy, we work closely with counterparts across the natural resource sector and government. Currently, we are exploring a sector-wide approach for implementing a data governance framework, data management policy and data custodian roles. Our approach to alignment is to first identify core components that should be standardized for the most benefit while leaving specifics customizable based on each Ministry or program area’s needs. Finding that balance can be hard but will be worthwhile.
Within ENV, I see my role as the connector between teams. Externally to ENV, I also help connect ENV teams with initiatives across the sector and government. I represent our Ministry teams on government-wide data standards and policy development. To do this, I communicate our needs outwards, which is why the strong data culture & community is the foundation of the pyramid. I also support our Ministry by providing interpretation from external sources inwards. I will be producing guides and checklists to help ENV teams operationalize government-level policies for their specific use cases.
What I am reading and learning
I don’t get to read as much as I would like to but it’s good to set out some goals for accountability! In the data strategy and management world, I find the approach laid out by Hosch (2019), originally written for academic institutions, resonates with our Ministry. I’m working on getting a copy and reading through relevant portions of the classic Data Management text, DAMA-DMBOK2. For the bigger picture, I’m learning a lot from Braiding Sweetgrass, on the connections between Indigenous Knowledge and western science in relation to the land, plants and animals. Those stories also help me think more holistically, beyond just the data science, when it comes to my work with the Ministry. Finally, books are just one way to gain knowledge. I really enjoy and learn a lot from participation in the many data related communities of practice across the public service as well as training opportunities to enhance my coaching abilities.
Data adventures continue
Although I am no longer actively analyzing data, I am drawing on those years of experience to guide my approach on collaborating with data teams and developing best practices. I am excited to be the bridge between the data world and the worlds of policy and design. Looking forward to the next year, our roadmap includes all layers of the data strategy pyramid with room to adjust for immediate needs as they come up. As I continue to adjust to the more strategic side of data science, I would love to hear from anyone reading this. Feel free to reach out by email, LinkedIn, or on the Data and Digital Delivery Guild Teams channel (IDIR required). And I will be sharing updates and other topics related to data science and data strategy here!
