Data analytics that sits on a shelf isn’t useful to anyone. How Brad Petry used ‘lighthouse’ projects, based on front-line needs, to make an impact and demonstrate value

The Victorian government’s central data unit is improving capability in everything from budgeting to tracking diseases. Solutions don’t need to be complicated, says head of analytics Brad Petry — but make sure you plan for implementation from the start.

One of the biggest challenges in the Victorian Centre for Data Insights‘ first couple of years has been to help the rest of the public sector understand what is possible — and what’s worth spending time on.

Initial requests were for things like “compare two spreadsheets and tell me where the differences are” or to put together a dashboard “which ended up getting very few hits”, recalled Brad Petry, head of data analytics at the VCDI, at a recent event at Melbourne University.