The advanced analytics Jumpstart: definition, process model, best practices

Abstract

Companies are encouraged by the big data trend to experiment with advanced analytics and many turn to specialist consultancies to help them get started where they lack the necessary competences. We investigate the program of one such consultancy, Advectas -in particular the advanced analytics Jumpstart. Using qualitative techniques including semi structured interviews and content analysis we investigate the nature and value of the Jumpstart concept through five cases in different companies. We provide a definition, a process model and a set of thirteen best practices derived from these experiences, and discuss the distinctive qualities of this approach.

The use of technology-enabled human capital management tools in the practices of hiring, developing, managing, and retaining talent : experiences of top management of large multinational corporations in Hong Kong

“…Gartner, a research and advisory firm with presence in over 100 countries, defined advanced analytics as "the autonomous or semi-autonomous examination of data or content using sophisticated techniques and tools, typically beyond those of traditional business intelligence (BI), to discover deeper insights, make predictions, or generate recommendations" (Gartner, n.d.). Rose et al (2017) pointed out that traditional business intelligence solutions rely mostly on performance indicators and data extracted from other databases, such as dashboards and other warehouses; in contrast, they defined advanced analytics as those that utilize algorithms by adopting "machine learning, artificial intelligence, natural language processing and other computer science disciplines" (Rose et al, 2017, p. 340).…”

“…Among other tools enabled by technology advances, big data analytics is often considered an enabler of better analytics. In general, big data analytics involves a massive volume of data (Accenture, 2018;Bersin, 2017;Rose et al, 2017;Schroeck et al, 2013).…”

“…While a clear consensus about the definition is lacking, big data analytics involves a lot of data and sophisticated analytical processes (Rose et al, 2017;Schroeck et al, 2013). Rose et al (2017) shared that companies of different sizes and resource constraints could utilize descriptive analytics; however, even companies that are more mature in terms of data analytics could still face challenges using more advanced analytics techniques, such as data mining (p. According to Accenture (2018), analytical tools benefit from the increased amount of data available, and it thus would be sensible for human capital management systems to extract data from different databases used for human resources functions. Notwithstanding the usefulness of such data, the research also showed that, in order to deliver more insightful findings in areas such as employee engagement and retention, an organization would benefit from the availability of data from both other internal departments and external sources, which would be where big data analytics could be relevant.…”

“…There are obstacles for all firms in utilizing human capital analytics (Accenture, 2018;Rose et al, 2017). Accenture (2018) found that only 13% of HR officers agreed that they had been given the required tools and analytics to function at the positions, which could be partly related to resource constraints.…”

“…Accenture (2018) found that only 13% of HR officers agreed that they had been given the required tools and analytics to function at the positions, which could be partly related to resource constraints. Indeed, Rose et al (2017) asserted that, while larger and international firms would benefit from using advanced analyticspresumably because they are perceived to have access to more resourcesadopting in-depth analysis of human capital still presents a challenge to others (p. 340). They also found that because of the rigorous nature of the analytical frameworks involved in advanced and complex mathematical models, relevant analytics could be challenging even for key decisionmakers and professionals in the field.…”