(US & Canada) VIDEO | Collaborate With Business Partners to Develop Solutions — US Nuclear Regulatory Commission CIO

David Nelson, Chief Information and Data Officer at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, speaks with Bill Sullivan, VP and General Manager of US Federal, in a video interview about #vendor collaboration, advice to CDOs/CIOs, need for human-centered design, having a solid analytics program, a center of expertise, and the importance of adapting technology.

Nelson begins by stating that it is essential for vendors to work with the agency as partners to understand their problems. Working together will allow the vendors to know the problems at hand and whether they have the right tools for them.

Further, Nelson advises enterprise CDOs and CIOs that understanding the real challenges of the mission is paramount. He urges CDOs/CIOs to have conversations with the mission leaders to know what they are trying to accomplish. Following that, they should come to a common understanding before proceeding with solving and implementing the solutions.

Moving forward, Nelson stresses the importance of human-centered design. He mentions working in collaboration with the mission and business partners as the agency builds its agile approach to developing solutions. He notes that being able to adapt to change and improve the solutions is critical. Therefore, he recommends launching a customer experience program to heighten the quality of support and increase organizational credibility.

In addition, Nelson emphasizes the importance of constructing a well-rounded analytics program. He specifies the need to ensure that the necessary tools have been provided enterprise-wide, allowing access to powerful analytics capabilities. However, Nelson cautions that such tools can be misused and that the intention should be to aid data-driven decision making to make the right organizational decisions.

Furthermore, Nelson continues to explain how the agency provides access to enterprise licenses and training on the tools. Also, he maintains that it emphasizes defining the roles of the data analyst, business analyst, and data scientist. Therefore, the commission has developed a center of expertise for data analytics where executives can make decisions utilizing various dashboards and tools.

To provide consistency, this center of excellence requires everyone to receive the same training and follow the same standards, says Nelson. Additionally, they review the products that are being produced to ensure that the data is not being misused in any way.

However, Nelson says that the agency has yet to devise the "magic recipe", but it continues to innovate to churn out the right analytic products. He states that various federal agencies have invested in the process and experienced large benefits in the form of solid data products.

Nelson concludes by noting the importance of adapting and making the most of technology. He remarks that data analysts need to be able to use technology correctly and mentions that his organization provides the support and assistance they need.

CDO Magazine appreciates David Nelson for sharing his insights with our global community.