Transforming Analytics Teams from Dependency to Innovation
From months to minutes: accelerating problem-solving in real-time.
Client Background
AACSB International (AACSB) is a global nonprofit association that connects educators, students, and business to achieve a common goal: to create the next generation of great leaders. In addition to providing certifications and a community of professionals, AACSB also provides benchmarking insights for their customers so that they can make informed salary and continuous improvement decisions.
The Business Challenge
Vendor Dependency
The team was shackled to a 3rd party vendor charging exorbitant fees for BI capabilities, including dashboard creation, new visualizations, and data integration.
The vendor's lack of comprehension of AACSB’s business context often resulted in deliverables that adhered to specifications yet missed the mark in meeting the team's underlying needs.
Cost and Time Restrictions
The vendor's $200 per hour consultation fee became a significant barrier, restricting the team's ability to thoroughly address and clarify complex problems in a timely manner.
The Komodo Solution
Cost Savings
Komodo's solution focused on empowering the AACSB analytics team to become self-sufficient. By implementing an innovative apprenticeship program, we facilitated a shift from dependence on external vendors to an internal problem-solving approach.
Hands-On Learning
The Komodo apprenticeship program is a hands-on, immersive learning experience tailored to a client's specific needs. It combines structured training sessions with real-world problem-solving exercises, allowing team members to rapidly acquire and apply new skills.
Key components of the program included:
In-depth discovery sessions to understand AACSB's unique business context and challenges;
Intensive workshops on BI tools and data integration techniques;
Guided projects using AACSB's actual data and business scenarios;
Regular mentoring sessions with Komodo experts;
Gradual increase in project complexity to build confidence and competence.
This approach ensured that AACSB's team not only learned the technical skills needed but also how to apply them effectively in their unique business context. The program's success was measured by the team's ability to independently tackle increasingly complex BI challenges.
As a result of our mentorship, the team could now work on BI challenges themselves, eliminating the need for hefty vendor payments.
Speed of Resolution
As a direct result of the apprenticeship program, the AACSB analytics team experienced a remarkable boost in efficiency. Instead of waiting for a month for responses from the vendor, they were now capable of resolving their own challenges in a single day.
The accelerated problem-solving timeline ensured not only prompt solutions but also ideal outcomes aligned with the team's business objectives.
Changing Employee Responsibilities
The Komodo apprenticeship program transformed the dynamics of the AACSB analytics team. Team members transitioned from managing external vendors to actively participating in problem-solving.
Employees were empowered to apply their business knowledge directly to the problem-solving process, leading to more contextual and effective solutions, as well as higher engagement and job satisfaction amongst the team.
The Results
Komodo Technology's tailored apprenticeship program solved AACSB's analytics challenges while providing a sustainable, cost-effective solution. The program, explicitly designed to match the client's technical capacity and business needs, fostered a culture of self-reliance and continual learning. As a result, the AACSB team is no longer just solving problems, they are leading innovation and efficiency in data analytics. This approach aligns with Komodo's mission to empower our clients to harness the full potential of their data, their technology, and their people.
