Building a Tableau Center of Excellence

Michael Cox

Principal Architect

Tableau

# T C 1 8

Michael Cox

Principal Architect

Tableau

Tableau Center of Excellence (COE)

COE Overview

COE Competencies (“Events”)

Project Plan for COE Implementation

What is a COE?

What is a COE?

A Tableau Center of Excellence is a group of resources created to coordinate knowledge, processes, and best practices for the successful deployment and usage of Tableau technologies throughout the enterprise.

Why a COE?

To institutionalize

tableau best practices

in the organization

To empower user

with access to

analytical capabilities

To allow users to

create meaningful

analytics

To make better

business decisions

Running a COE is Like…

1) Herding Cats?

2) Spinning plates?

3) Preparing Thanksgiving dinner?

4) Doing all at the same time?

The Modern Pentathlon?!

The Modern Pentathlon

Fencing EquestrianPistol

Shooting

Running Swimming

The Modern Pentathlon

How do you feel about being good

at a few very different things?

COE “Pentathlon”

Build Data and

Governance

Structures

Enable Self

Service/

Onboarding

Build Stable

Infrastructure

Change CultureBuild Useful

Analytics

Event #1—Build Stable Infrastructure

1) Tableau Server Infrastructure

2) System Operations

3) Portal/Other Systems integration (optional)

Build Stable

Infrastructure

Build Data and

Governance

Structures

Event #2—Data and Governance Structures

1) Data Source Planning

2) Security Requirements

3) Content Management Processes

4) Site/Project/User Organization

Build Useful

Analytics

Event #3—Build Useful Analytics

1) Visual Design

2) Performance

3) Branding

Change Culture

Event #4—Change Culture

1) Focus on Business Questions

2) Agile Analytics Development

3) Data Driven Organization

4) Visual Analytics Focus

Enable Self

Service/

Onboarding

Event #5—Enable Self Service

1) Enable Self Starters

2) Training

3) Providing easy to use Data Sources

4) Promote through Community

Attributes of a Successful COE—Balanced

Information Technology

Security

Data architecture & quality

Infrastructure

Scalability roadmap

Usage monitoring

Governance

Business

Creative analytic work

User training

Data acquisition

Knowledge sharing

Content publishing

Evangelism

Tableau Center of Excellence

Build Data and

Governance

Structures

Build Stable

Infrastructure

Enable Self

Service/

Onboarding

Change

CultureBuild Useful

Analytics

The Importance of Being Well Rounded

Example…

How Do We Make This Happen?

Key Steps to a COE Project

Discover Plan Present Implement Refine

Discover

1. Via Tableau personnel, interviews, support logs, and questionnaires, understand the current state of users/analytics and desired future state.

2. Identify the key gaps.

3. Identify who is involved. Scope. What areas? How many people? What skills?

4. Success criteria. Interview teams and management to decide where to focus.

5. Think in terms of prioritization based on initial results and organization needs.

6. Build Discovery around identifying areas that are (1) critical and (2) lacking.

Discover

Build Plan

1) Plan the work that needs to be completed.

2) This is primarily a prioritization exercise. What is the most important things the COE must do first?

3) Schedule formal classes as needed (lead time).

4) Create a working “mission statement” for the COE.

Plan

Presentation of Plan

Present the COE goal statement and what we are trying to accomplish:

Discuss purpose/importance of building a COE

Review results of interviews and analysis

Provide plan and recommendations

Interactive discussion of proposed focus

Audience: key stakeholders

Present

Implementation

Build Data and

Governance

Structures

Enable Self

Service/

Onboarding

Build Stable

Infrastructure

Change

Culture

Build Useful

Analytics

Each “Sprint”

1) Prioritize areas

2) Complete prioritized tasks

3) Not all areas will be in each sprint

Implement

Example: Maturity/Growth

Enablement Scale

Infrastructure Install and configure server (basic)Integration into overall IT

architectureSLA driven architecture.

Setup basic processes.

Backup/restore, publishing, etc.

Build proactive management

capabilities such as performance

monitoring and content archival

Automate most server-based tasks such as

backup/restore, adding users/groups, publishing,

etc.

Data and GovernanceCreate initial high value data sets

(ad hoc)

Publish curated, approved data

sources to Tableau Server

Managed data fully loaded, tracked, updated,

with significant metadata available

Create security hierarchy and initial

users/groups

Publish security processes,

automate functions (add users and

groups)

Fully integrate security and compliance in

Tableau into corporate processes.

Build Useful AnalyticsTrain users in visual analytics;

create high quality dashboards

Templates, style sheets, enhanced

visualization training

Complete self service to support ad-hoc

business-led requirements.

CultureEstablish organizational framework

for community programs

Launch COE and establish core

programs (office hours, lunch/learn)

Allow COE to be enabler of self-service

throughout the organization.

Enable Self ServiceCreate foundation for data driven

organization

Enable users with ability to use

visuals to make business decisionsFully capture ROI associated with data initiatives

Implement

Phases

Are

as

Text in each box represents sample activities (non-exhaustive list).

Refinement

Determine measures for each area. Record the before and after and report on progress (using Tableau!!!)

Refine

Sample Measures

Build Stable

Infrastructure

• Architecture: % available, uptime, timeliness of upgrades

• System Operations: Average visual response time, # of hits per day, data sources updated daily/weekly

Build Data and

Governance

Structures

• Data Management: % of dashboards using certified data sources; % of dashboards coming from approved source systems (e.g. not Excel)

• Security and Governance: Maturity of publishing process

Build Useful

Analytics

• Best Practices: % of visuals using templates and/or best practices. Number of “reworked” dashboards (old to new)

Change

Culture

• Community: active user groups within the organization, participation in external user groups

• Culture of Analytics; % focused on visual analysis vs. grids

Enable Self

Service/

Onboarding

• Education: Number or % of trained users. LMS progress measurements

Refine

Attributes of a Successful COE

Refine

Attributes of a Successful COE

Refine

Confidence

The importance of being confident

Thank you!

#TC18

Contact or CTA info goes here

Please complete the

session survey from the

Session Details screen

in your TC18 app