In our last article, we talked about how to launch a social impact research project. In this article, we’ll take a deeper dive into who should be involved. For any project to be successful, a wide variety of skill sets from a diverse group of individuals is needed.
Every impact project should include:
Project leader(s)
Subject matter experts
Funders in alignment with mission outcomes
Researchers/data analysts
Let’s take a deeper look at what these roles entail and the skills needed to execute the project!
Core Team:
Leads assessment of relevant topics and development of problem statement
Provides general leadership and strategic guidance around the overall project
Determines stakeholders, methodology for project execution
Develops project budget
Solidifies project brief (more on this in our next blog post)
Leads fund development efforts and identification of partners
Provides project management: develop timelines, RACIs, meeting schedules, track progress and identify shortfalls
Technical Skills:
Data Engineer - builds and maintains technical systems & platforms that allows for the access to data
Data Scientist - provides analysis through predictive data modeling and algorithms, leverages machine learning models, helps organize, clean and validate datasets
Data/Research Analyst - brings an understanding of the impact problem statement, and utilizes data to provide recommendations, potential outcomes and visualizes to help inform
Funders:
Funders can include corporate funders, family or corporate foundations, academic institutions, individuals, etc.
Potential funders should:
Have a strong mission alignment/funding pillar alignment with the overall project
Benefit from the results of the project
Have a history of expertise and connectivity to similar impact projects
Subject Matter Experts:
Organizations (non profits, academic institutions, industry leaders, government offices, etc) that are experts in the area of the project topic
This is certainly not an exhaustive list, and one person may fill multiple roles, but it’s important to ensure all needed skills are identified and represented.
When assessing what additional skills are indeed, questions to consider could include:
What are the strategic needs of the project?
What data skills are needed to implement the project?
What non-technical skills are needed for the project to be successful?
What skills exist on the team? Where are there gaps?
By taking a multistakeholder approach to your open data projects, you’re ensuring that all perspectives are represented, all needed skills are accounted for, and that the project will be a greater success!
