Fostering Culture of Excellence
FordDirect

Business Challenge

In 2019 FordDirect’s Data Science, Analytics, and Business Intelligence team (DSABI) had the remit to “drive evidence-based decision making by providing timely, actionable and forward-looking insights” to FordDirect (just like Ford’s GDIA team).  The challenge was that very few people at FordDirect (or at Ford) understood DSABI’s capabilities. 

Solution

FordDirect leveraged the poster session approach showcased at GDIA’s annual conference for the purpose of educating all of FordDirect (GDIA’s conference is a mostly internal team event).  Each FordDirect DSABI team member created a case study of how they contributed to the company using Data Science, Analytics, or Business Intelligence.  

The entire company was invited to attend, including FordDirect’s CEO as well as key people from GDIA. 

Results

The initial poster session was a success! Thirty-eight different projects were displayed.   Each team member took great pride in showcasing how they contributed to the strategic initiatives at FordDirect.  We received significant recognition and positive feedback from the CEO, CIO, General Counsel, and many other departments on our efforts.  The team referenced the work in our employee satisfaction survey as a contributing factor to the significant increase in employee satisfaction scores. 

DSABI reported to me during my tenure at FordDirect.