In “Building the Analytic Organization,” Peter Graham states that the role of Chief Analytic Officer (CAO) is critical for organizations to evolve to the next level of analytic organization. In this organization, analytics becomes a key organizational competency to the point of requiring a dedicated functional area responsible for analytics.
This intrigues me since I often find myself somewhere in between the purely technical roles and business roles regarding analytics. Though I have some technical aptitude, I don’t have the formal training nor the experience to consider myself an IT person. On the other hand, though I have completed many tactical reporting and analysis projects, I feel analytics can add significant strategic advantage. Sounds like the analytic functional area would play in that “in-between” space.
So how do the CAO and CIO roles differ?
Per Graham…
The CAO is accountable for driving analytics as a differentiator
across the enterprise. This includes the formulation of organizational
analytic capabilities, including areas like casual analysis, data
mining, statistical analysis and predictive modeling. The CAO will be
responsible for developing analytics as a core competency within the
analytic function and across the entire organization.The CIO is accountable for the enabling platform to support
analytics. This includes the data collection, aggregation,
standardization and technologies that will distribute analytics across
the enterprise. The CIO will need to develop the core competencies that
will enable the IT function to support the technology needs to the
Analytic function.
Is your organization ready an analytical C-level role?
