Six Steps To Smarter Analytics: An Engineer's Guide To The ADLC

The Analytics Development Lifecycle (ADLC), as popularized by Tristan Handy of dbt Labs, is a structured process that aims to transform raw data into valuable insights through reliable, scalable, and trusted analytics systems. This lifecycle encompasses several stages, including requirements gathering, data exploration, data cleaning and model building, testing, deployment, and iteration, each contributing to the creation of cohesive and actionable analytics. The process emphasizes the importance of clear communication with stakeholders, ensuring data discoverability, and the need for constant iteration to adapt to evolving business needs. Collaboration and building trust with stakeholders are crucial, as they enable the data team to support organizational decision-making effectively. Scalability is also a cornerstone of the ADLC, ensuring that the analytics systems can grow alongside the organization's needs, thus making analytics a core business function rather than just a tool.