Meet Daniel: a Data Analyst on a leading insurance organisation’s digital transformation programme

Hello! I’m Daniel Gadish and I’ve been an analyst on the Data+ programme for one year. I am currently working as a data analyst in the design team on RSA’s digital transformation programme.

A day in the life

On a day-to-day basis, I aim to determine what can and can’t be upgraded based on current restrictions within the project and the business. To do this I need to understand how assets are used within the business. This involves looking at what devices are being used and what they are being used for using a software monitoring system. This is preinstalled on the devices and provides data on activity, performance and software usage. This data is extracted with SQL queries and fed into Excel spreadsheets to be analysed and presented to business and programme stakeholders. My analysis helps to build a picture of the progress that the programme has made and what the next steps of the transformation are. Where data is missing, I am responsible for reaching out to relevant business stakeholders to help build up a complete picture. The analysis I do helps the programme to conduct a smooth transformation for the business by providing evidence to support the decisions being made, helping to reduce risk.

Organisational skills have been pivotal for me in this role as there are a number of moving parts and it is important to keep track of what is going on to build an up to date and complete picture of assets in the business. Being able to communicate clearly is also important in delivering information to business and programme stakeholders in an effective way to assist them in the decision-making process. The ability to think through problems logically has also proved key in answering stakeholders’ questions and providing the information they are looking for.

Biggest achievement

My biggest achievement so far has been to successfully collate data on over 7000 desktops, providing a picture of the upgrade progress and what actions are needed to allow us to complete the transformation. This picture is being used to assist the programme’s decision-makers.

I have learnt a great deal on this programme, from working with large amounts of data to improving my ability to communicate with key stakeholders. Most importantly I have found that no matter how much I understand the solution to a problem, if I am unable to communicate that solution clearly to stakeholders, then the solution isn’t useful. As such, it is vital to be able to understand your audience and amend your presentation accordingly.

Why Grayce?

I believe my client came to Grayce for analysts because of the quality of the analysts provided as well as the wrap-around support that Grayce provides. This ensures clients are given the best quality consultants who have all the support required to excel in delivery.

I was drawn to Grayce because of the support in place to develop my skills in the direction I want through training and with real-world experience on client sites. This 70:20:10 learning model has accelerated my development by allowing me to put into practice the skills that I am building on. Since starting at Grayce I have also found the culture to be a highlight. There are regular social events and knowledge exchanges, allowing me to gain valuable insight into what other analysts are doing. This insight has given me a bigger picture of what is possible in the world of data and has led me to consider new ways to develop my skillset.