How to Align Your Data Team with Business Goals and Drive ROI 

Organisation across industries – especially in financial services and manufacturing – are investing heavily in data teams, platforms, and tools. 

The expectation?  

Faster decisions. Operational efficiency. New revenue opportunities.  

The reality?  

Many data teams are not aligned with business goals and fail to deliver measurable ROI.  

If you’re in a hybrid role, business leadership, IT management, or a data leadership position, this post will show you how to close the gap and turn your data function into a business value engine.  

Common Signs of Misalignment and Low ROI 

Wondering if your data team is aligned with business priorities? 

Look out for these symptoms:  

• You have dashboards, but no decisions. 
• Request backlogs keep growing, but prioritisation is unclear. 
• Business users complain about speed, relevance, or understanding. 
• Data quality is still a sticking point. 
• You can’t tie recent data work to commercial outcomes.  

If any of these are familiar, your team might be focused on outputs, not outcomes.  

Cause #1: Lack if Join Ownership Between Data and Business Teams 

Data teams often operate reactively, responding to tickets without a strategic context. 

Meanwhile, business functions can’t always articulate what data they need or how to prioritise it.  

This leads to:  

• Frustrations on both sides 
• Wasteful analysis 
• Low stakeholder trust 

Fit it: Create Shared Road Maps 

• Embed analysts or product owners within business units 
• Define success in business terms: revenue, efficiency, risk reduction 
• Make joint planning a regular rhythm – not a once-a-year workshop. 

This works especially well in hybrid teams bridging digital, product, and operational goals. 

Cause #2: Technical Bottlenecks Block Strategic Progress 

Siloed data, outdated platforms, and undocumented systems can leave your best analysts spending most of their time on prep – not insight.  

This frustrates both data and IT teams and slows down business agility. 

Fix it: Invest in Reusable, Scalable Data Infrastructure 

• Modernise pipelines with automation and observability 
• Prioritise documentation and standarised access layers 
• Build once, re-use often – to service multiple business use cases faster.  

This enables IT and Data teams to shift from firefighting to value delivery. 

Cause #3: Insights are Lost in Translation

Even when good analysis is produce, it often doesn’t land.  

Why? 

• Business users don’t trust or understand the output 
• Stakeholders don’t hear the story behind the data 
• Analysts aren’t trained to influence or engage 

Fix It: Train Teams in Communication, Not Just Analytics 

• Make data storytelling and stakeholder management part of team development. 
• Build internal success stories that show how data delivers real value. 
• Present results in language of commercial impact – not just technical completeness.  

This is especially vital for business-focused leaders who need clarity, not caveats. 

 

Cause #4: No Clear Link Between Data Work and Business KPIs 

Too many teams are still rewarded for delvierables – not value.  

• Dashboards and reports are launched, but usage is low. 
• KPIs are activity-based, not outcome-based 
• There is no tie to business OKRs or strategic metrics. 

Fix it: Reframe Data Success Around Business Outcomes 

Ask: 

• Did this insight influence a decision? 
• Did it lead to measurable commercial benefit? 
• Can we show an impact on revenue, cost, or risk? 

Make sure data KPIs are aligned with strategic priorities, not spreadsheets.  

Cause #5: Missing a Strategic Data Partner 

Your internal team might be talented, but they’re often stretched thin, juggling both BAU and transformation. 

Worse, many external parters offer little more than resource augmentation – not strategic momentum.  

Fix it: Partner with a Team Who Can Challenge, Accelerate, and Deliver 

Look for a data consultancy that can:  

• Build your internal capability, not just dashboards 
• Align delivery with commercial objectives. 
• Bring proven models for scaling innovation across functions.  

The right partner should work with your team, not around them – and help you turn data into a profit centre.  

From Data Delivery to Business Impact 

The pressure to prove ROI on data investments is only increasing.  

But the answer isn’t more reports or tools – it’s alignment.  

To truly deliver value: 

• Rethink how your data teams are structured. 
• Build stronger business data partnerships. 
• Shift the focus from reporting to results.  

Bridging the gap between data capabilities and business prioritise, you empower your teams to move beyond service delivery and into strategic value creation. 

Whether you lead transformation, IT, data, or commercial strategy, the opportunity is the same: turn your data function into a driver of measurable growth. 

Ready to see what’s possible?

Let’s Talk!  

In a 30-minute Data Innovation Session, with you, we will explore how you can unlock real value from your data to drive innovation within your business.