Kris Peeters is the founder and CEO of Data Minded. He leads a group of passionate tech experts working in the area of Data Engineering. Working on the implementation of Big Data projects has taught him some best practices, which he is always glad to share.

About Kris and his tips to avoid Murphy’s law in big data projects

Kris started his presentation with a case in which the effort of several months was simply replaced by 3 Excel sheets. This was the perfect way to exemplify the frustration that all people working in big data projects may experience, pointing out the need of listening to the advice of those who have gone through the process.

With that kick-off, Kris shared which steps would ensure that Murphy law could step into the process. He started pointing the fact of performing long development cycles without performing some testing nor sharing it with the customer, and also highlighted how having a “golden hammer” (well known tool) giving the wrong image of taking success for granted. Dismissing the importance of diversity (in terms of including different backgrounds) and proper coaching are also red flags to keep an eye on.

Besides his honest, incisive feedback, what is truly appreciated from Kris is his interest to see things from different angles, and to be very inclusive on the perspective of other stakeholders. At the end, knowing how to use big data cannot go too far without the qualitative input that the customer can offer.

So… before kicking off a project, it is crucial to spot the involved weaknesses, as this allows  assessing them and being proactive about them.

A takeaway from Kris’s presentation

“When kicking off a project, do a pre-mortem to spot which risks may appear”

Thank you, Kris, for the useful tips! We are sure that they save some difficult moments to many people.

Interview:

Presentation:

 Deck:

[To be uploaded asap]

Presentation’s sketch: