AgileData Newsletter #20

Dec 16, 2022

Wardley Maps

Just like we have a Lineage Map in AgileData to show you where your data is coming from and where it is going, there is a thing called Wardley maps that provide a map for business strategy.

We haven't built Wardley Maps into AgileData, but we think they are cool and useful regardless.

We were lucky enough to have Simon Wardley on the No Nonsense #agile podcast, to describe what they are and where the name came from.

Listen to the No Nonsense Podcast or read the transcript @agiledata.io

Why we chose Google Cloud as the Infrastructure Platform for AgileData

Picking a cloud platform to power your data platform is one of the biggest decisions you need to make.

We think of the cloud platform as similar to the foundation of a house. First thing you need to build and damn hard to change.

Yes you can always change your cloud platform if you design your data platform properly, use standard SQL for everything, containers for deployment, API’s as the interfaces etc .

But its still a massive change.

The theory of sunk costs will often jump in and you won’t move unless there is a very compelling reason. And if there’s is a compelling reason you will likely have little time to make the change.

So when we had to make our choice on which Cloud Platform we would use, we thought hard.

Information Products - What and Why

We believe the Information product pattern is so valuable that we are openly sharing it with anybody who wants to use it.

The pattern has been refined with multiple teams and organisations over almost a decade.

Listen to the podcast (or read along) where Shane Gibson and Tammy Leahy discuss what the Information Product pattern is and why you should use it.

Listen to the AgileData podcast or read the transcript @ AgileData.io

Skills vs Roles

In organisations founded with an industrial mindset the focus is on roles and hierarchies.

In organisations founded with an agile mindset the focus is on skills and self-sufficient teams.

We have an AgileData WoW pattern that makes it easier to identify the skills you have in your team and the skills the team are missing.

Explore Data

Being able to explore data helps Data Magicians understand the shape of the data which helps when they need to create Change Rules.

It also allows the Data Magicians to answer some questions quickly without having to use a separate Last Mile tool.

The AgileData team did a McSpikey using Google Facets Dive to see what exploring the data within the AgileData app might look like.

Watch the Gone in 60 Seconds video and see what you think.