Joseph Cazier, who coaches business leaders on how to succeed by making better decisions with data, has recently published his new book “Leading in Analytics: The Seven Critical Tasks for Executives to Master in the Age of Big Data.”

Cazier, who currently serves as the Associate Director, Center for AI and Data Analytics (AIDA) at Arizona State University, wrote Leading in Analytics to address a fundamental challenge that Chief Data Officers (CDO) and other executives often face — How to lead analytics projects in a way that ensures both technical success and meaningful business value?

“Many organizations struggle to align their analytics efforts with strategic goals, and I’ve seen too many projects fail—not due to a lack of technology, but because of gaps in leadership and process. This book provides a practical roadmap for mastering the critical tasks required to lead data-driven initiatives, helping executives move from insight to impact with confidence,” Cazier says.

The book aims to address the following 7 critical tasks that business leaders must address in today’s business and technological environment. They are:

1. Problem: Defining an actionable business problem with a clear ROI.

2. Team: Bringing together and managing the team that not only needs to do the work but also have the outcome accepted and used in the organization.

3. Data: Acquiring and preparing appropriate data that can solve your problem.

4. Tools: Using the appropriate tools in the appropriate way to solve your problem.

5. Execution: CDOs know the importance of good execution to project success.

6. Maturity: Building a mature AI/Analytics culture and process that embraces and knows how to support AI/Analytics initiatives.

7. Responsibility: Practicing ethical and responsible use with AI/Analytics initiatives.

Cazier draws his wisdom from a career spanning over two decades in academia. While at Appalachian State University, Cazier founded the Center for Analytics Research and Education, and today at Arizona State University his focus is on preparing new leaders for an industry that is changing every day. The book incorporates insights from these experiences, as well as wisdom gained from interviews with top CDOs and other experts, distilled into best-practice recommendations. 

“One example I love in the book came from an interview with Shaun Doheney, currently a Principle Analytics Leader for AWS at Amazon. He shares what we named in the book Doheney’s Axiom, which is, ‘The best way to improve the quality of your data is to make decisions based on that data,’” Cazier reveals.

Key takeaways from Doheney’s axiom:

• Action drives accountability: Actively using data motivates stakeholders to improve its quality.

• Challenge assumptions: Rather than dismissing imperfect data, ask critical questions about its perceived inaccuracies and potential value.

• Collaborative governance: Implement a governance framework with clear roles for data ownership and stewardship to maintain high data standards.

• Progress over perfection: Even imperfect data can lead to better decisions than relying solely on intuition or gut instincts.

For CDOs across all organizations, one of the primary challenges is to maintain high-quality data that is relevant to current problems, while anticipating and preparing for future business problems and opportunities. One of the most surprising insights in the book, as Cazier mentions, is that technology is rarely the primary barrier to analytics success — people and processes are. 

Cazier emphasizes that leadership, not just technical expertise, is the key to unlocking the full potential of analytics. “Readers of the book will learn that fostering collaboration, managing risks, and creating a culture of accountability are just as critical as having the right tools or algorithms. This human-centric approach is what makes analytics truly transformative.”