By Nancy Nais
KUCHING, Jan 22: Sarawak showed its seriousness in wanting to transform its economy into a digital one by bringing in Professor Dennis W. Campbell from Harvard Business School to conduct a Digital and Data-Driven Masterclass today.
This is the first time the masterclass is conducted in the state, and the participants will be taught the fundamentals of big data analysis and how to transform a data-related business problem into a big data solution.
This is among the many programmes under the Sarawak Talent Development initiatives. It is organised by Sarawak Centre of Performance Excellence (SCOPE), Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA) and The Center of Applied Data Science (CADS).
In launching the two-day course, State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani told those present that the state was in the midst of implementing the Sarawak Digital Economy (2018-2020) initiatives.
Hence, it is critical for key players to have a good understanding of big data and how to apply complex analytical methods to achieve this goal.
“As we live in the digital era, all organisations, be it public or private, will be operating on and utilising data platforms,” he said.
He highlighted that even though the situation might be different from what individuals face in their day-to-day work in the ministry, department or agency, the fundamentals were similar.
Therefore, it is up to these individuals to make it applicable to and impactful in their day-to-day operations.
Strategic initiatives, whether targeting internal staff or procedures or handling external communications and project management, requires a solid understanding of current or similar situations and improving significant areas.
“Gathering data on customer satisfaction does not begin with collecting surveys but studying the right survey questions, which requires an understanding of what customer satisfaction means to your ministry, department or agency.
“Once the right questions are asked, we have the quality response that can then be quantified and translated into actionable improvements through the use of big data analytic techniques,” said Morshidi.
In order to improve product or service delivery in any ministry, department or agency, he advised department heads to embrace the use of data analytics and build capable teams to turn big data into a competitive advantage.
“The knowledge that you will gain from these two days will hopefully serve as a turning point for the exercise in becoming a data-driven organisation,” he added. — DayakDaily
