https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KWG7QaPCSKI&t=7s
In an increasingly dynamic, uncertain, and ambiguous environment, organizations are basing their decisions on the analysis of empirical evidence.
Alumni Luis Oliari—logistics manager at the Ministry of Social Development (Mides), with a Master’s degree in Accounting and Taxation from ORT—, Martín Facello—Integrated Marketing Manager at BROU, with a postgraduate degree in Business Analytics from ORT—and Gabriel Silveira—Digital Transformation Manager at CPA Ferrere, with a Master’s in Technology Business Management from ORT—presented on how analytics enables the collection, analysis, and visualization of data to transform it into a strategic asset, accompanied by professor Guillermo Magnou.
The talk, organized by the Universidad ORT Uruguay School of Graduate Business Studies, took place on Wednesday, September 20, in a hybrid format (some participants attended in person, while others joined via HyFlex®).
Analysis for Decision-Making
The experts noted that predictive analytics now plays a fundamental role in decision-making, and that while different departments within the company generate information, having an independent team to collect and analyze all the data is essential.
As for how they handled this in the past, Facello stated: “We have been undergoing a transformation process; previously, each department had its own data repository, and decisions were made based on that. The technology department proposed breaking down those data silos and returning to a single, shared pool.”
For his part, Olliari reflected: “Centralization builds more trust; the data comes from a single source, and you don’t waste as much time generating it—instead, you focus more on strategy and decision-making.”
Relationships between departments
Facello mentioned one of the major obstacles he faced as a leader in this regard:
“Getting on the same page with the tech team was a huge challenge; for example, we had to start learning what a data dictionary is. But on the business side, we also faced our own obstacles because each department had its own data repository and analysts working on them. That’s where the cultural shift comes in—being able to tell them, ‘Don’t worry about the data anymore; we’re going to put it all in a single repository, and then you’ll be able to pull from there.’ It took a lot of effort to build understanding and earn their trust.”
“Trust is built as results become apparent,” he said.
Silveria added: “Data is a cross-cutting issue that cuts across other areas. There is often resistance, such as ‘we’ve always done it this way, and this is making things more complicated for me,’ which creates certain barriers.”
Transforming Data Governance
On the other hand, Silveira noted that he sees growing enthusiasm for the topic: “It’s becoming easier and easier for a manager to convey the value of data, because they already understand it, and that has helped us a lot.”
He also explained: “There’s a lot of confusion about what can and can’t be done, but there’s enthusiasm, and everyone wants to move in that direction.”
“But when it comes to pure governance, it can be very difficult for executives to establish it, because everyone wants to improve and have statistics, but empowering a team, creating a cross-functional vision, talking to the manager of each area, and putting together a good committee involving both business and technology is a challenge,” he stated.
He also said:
“The cycles are very short—it hasn’t even been a year since the ChatGPT boom and everything that followed—and there are already companies in Uruguay working on this, putting an end to the stigma that we’re always ten years behind.”
Monitoring of implemented solutions
For his part, Oliari explained: “When we’re about to hire a service, we review all the data we have and track, for example, the hours worked or the number of services provided, as well as the number of people we’ll need—and that’s important.”
Upcoming challenges
Facello noted that the challenges he anticipates include, on the one hand, using analytics to monetize the database the bank currently possesses.
“The bank has 1.5 million customers, and just imagine the amount of data we have on them. If they make two or three transactions a day with their debit card, it’s an inexhaustible source of information, and the major challenge ahead of us is to monetize it so that it can be used for decision-making,” he said.
Likewise, the expert reaffirmed that this is a cultural and organizational shift: “It’s about evangelizing, convincing the rest of the bank that data is a fundamental tool.”
Silveira, on the other hand, mentioned market-level challenges: “It’s hard to stay up to date; there’s a lot of supply, and you have to be very attentive and open to continually listening to people who say, ‘I have this technology that I combined with that one and did this.’”
He also pointed out:
“Many companies say they can’t afford to miss out on a particular trend or competitive advantage, yet they haven’t gone through the full cycle to fully understand how to capitalize on it; it’s both a challenge and a dilemma.”
The expert also said that all companies, as part of their digital transformation, must provide the necessary tools to all staff, and that every employee in an administrative or operational role should have a certain level of knowledge and know how to use them, since these tools are becoming increasingly user-friendly and require less training.
Finally, Oliari spoke about data culture: “Within organizations, everyone must understand that data generates value, which goes hand in hand with training, because every department contributes something, and this requires significant effort from leaders to convince and guide.”