"A data team's purpose is now to clarify and simplify the operating model of business. They're the ones making it clear what the business is doing, how it's performing, how the business fits together—painting the operating model of the business, not just painting the data or owning the numbers." — Ollie Hughes [0:27:00]
Data teams are at a pivotal moment. With zero-interest rates gone and AI transforming the landscape, there's mounting pressure to prove ROI and deliver real business value.
Yet many teams remain stuck in the "service trap"—churning out dashboards rather than driving strategic impact.
In this special episode of More than Numbers Live, the tables are turned as Analytics on Fire podcast host Mico Yuk interviews our regular host, Ollie Hughes, about the four critical tenets that transform data teams from support functions into engines of growth.
Ollie breaks down his four tenets framework for high-impact data teams, developed from hundreds of conversations with leading data practitioners. He reveals the four service traps that keep teams stuck in low-value work and the corresponding tenets that can transform them into business-critical partners.
This episode is a masterclass for data leaders looking to elevate their teams beyond the dashboard factory and become true drivers of business improvement.
Brilliant data bits
"BI should stand for business improvement. The goal of a data team now is to drive business improvement... We no longer need to serve the data to the business. That is now a commodity." — Ollie Hughes [0:09:00]
"The minimum bar that you should be aspiring to as a data team is that every quarter your executive team can clearly point to three things that the data team has done for the organization which has driven business value." — Ollie Hughes [0:20:00]
What you'll learn
- [02:07] Ollie's first BI tools and how his experience with Power BI's limitations sparked the idea for Count.
- [05:28] Why data teams face a critical moment: proving ROI while avoiding replacement by AI.
- [10:25] The four service traps that keep data teams stuck in low-value work.
- [17:16] How to diagnose if you're caught in a service trap - Ollie's "asset test" for data teams.
- [22:38] The four tenets of high-impact data teams and how they address each service trap.
- [31:05] How operational clarity creates a virtuous cycle that transforms the quality of requests data teams receive.
- [39:20] Resources for implementing these tenets in your organization and joining the movement.
"AI can answer questions faster than you. This is a race that you're going to lose." — Mico Yuk [0:18:16]
Downloads & links
🔗 Access the 4 tenets report
😍 See Count’s metric tree example
🔥 Build your own with a free Count account
🚀 Connect with Ollie Hughes
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