1.
bittenlabs © 2016
What every product manager
needs to know
about data science
Trevor Bass
Bitten Labs
trevor@bittenlabs.com
http://bittenlabs.com

2.
bittenlabs © 2016
Bitten Labs
• Data science management consultancy,
education provider, innovation lab
• Specialize in early and growth stage data
science competencies
Trevor Bass
• Data scientist with a decade of experience
building successful products and teams in a
variety of industries

3.
bittenlabs © 2016 Source: xkcd.com

4.
bittenlabs © 2016 Source: marriedtothesea.com

5.
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6.
bittenlabs © 2016
“We are drowning in information but starved for
knowledge.”
- John Naisbitt

7.
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8.
bittenlabs © 2016
“...since chocolate consumption has been
documented to improve cognitive function, it
seems most likely that in a dose-dependent way,
chocolate intake provides the abundant fertile
ground needed for the sprouting of Nobel
laureates.”

9.
bittenlabs © 2016
From absurdist scientific humor publication top
medical journal:
Messerli, Frank. “Chocolate Consumption,
Cognitive Function, and Nobel Laureates.” The
New England Journal of Medicine 367 (2012):
1562-1564.

10.
bittenlabs © 2016
Quantitative arguments making people’s brains
turn off

11.
bittenlabs © 2016
#1
Data science is about insight
(e.g. not information, not technology)

12.
bittenlabs © 2016
+data
+science
Source: Drew Conway

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bittenlabs © 2016
#2
The best insights are actionable

15.
bittenlabs © 2016 Source: xkcd.com

16.
bittenlabs © 2016
Goal: data  value

17.
bittenlabs © 2016
#3
Data products are awesome
(and your product can probably be one)

18.
bittenlabs © 2016
What is a data product?
• Data products: products that derive substantial
value from analytics
• Data products ≠ information products
Example
• Information product: Google Analytics
• Data product: Google Search

19.
bittenlabs © 2016
“The future belongs to the companies and people
that turn data into products.”
- Mike Loukides, O’Reilly

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bittenlabs © 2016

23.
bittenlabs © 2016
#4
Pipes are key

24.
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bittenlabs © 2016
Better pipes > better insights

26.
bittenlabs © 2016
#5
Start with your core competency

27.
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28.
bittenlabs © 2016
#6
Data products are hard
(you need data science help with everything,
throughout the lifecycle and the organization)

29.
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30.
bittenlabs © 2016
#7
There is a communication gap
(and you may not know it, and it matters a lot)

31.
bittenlabs © 2016
“Data science is a team sport.”
- DJ Patil, U.S. Chief Data Scientist

32.
bittenlabs © 2016
#8
Data science literacy is important and
attainable
(ditto for data scientists w.r.t. product literacy)

33.
bittenlabs © 2016
Data science literacy
• Solving problems with data
• Data
• Statistics
• Visualization
• Data analysis methods
• Toolsets
Making data science work
• Applying data science
• Organizing data science
• Maturing analytically

34.
bittenlabs © 2016
#9
Good PMs copy; great PMs steal

35.
bittenlabs © 2016
#10
Data science initiatives are like startups

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38.
bittenlabs © 2016
#11
Product managers are critical
(for both the product and the organization)

39.
bittenlabs © 2016
Data science is about insight
The best insights are actionable
Data products are awesome
Pipes are key
Start with your core competency
Data products are hard
There is a communication gap
Data literacy is important and attainable
Good PMs copy; great PMs steal
Data science initiatives are like startups
Product managers are critical
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40.
bittenlabs © 2016
What every product manager
needs to know
about data science
Trevor Bass
Bitten Labs
trevor@bittenlabs.com
http://bittenlabs.com