Roseto is a small town situated southeast of Rome and their main occupation was stone works in the quarries at the neighbourhood. Their days were arduous, as they need walk for half a dozen miles every day and labour to earn their livelihood. Their economic situation was tough, and they were compelled to find an antidote to the situation. Few men heard about a prosperous land America and set a voyage and landed in New York. They were employed in a slate quarry in Bangor, Pennsylvania. The fable of the prosperous land spread in Italy and soon fifty more men travelled to Pennsylvania. In 1894, a total of 12000 Rosetans applied for passports to America.

After few years, in the 1950s a famous doctor Wolf, who studied digestion and the stomach in Oklahoma Medical University came to know the Rosetans never died of a heart attack in a time it is an epidemic in the United States. He was awe-struck and initiated an investigation. A group of social scientists and medical doctors investigated the lifestyle of the Rosetans and could not decipher the reason for such a high immunity for heart attacks.

This is the story of Rosetans. Like the Rosetans, every organization has something special in its culture and DNA. This has made them stand tall in the crowd and enable them to grow further. Data Science or any new strategy will have one or more goals to achieve for the collective success of the organization. Like the story of Rosetans, your organization has certain characteristics in the operation and culture. While adopting data science strategy or contemplating it, consider the following dimensions that would make the journey fruitful:

• Start with simple goals: The data science projects need the support of the ecosystem than the group of individuals. This means the organizational culture should support the cause. So, start with a simple goal rather than aspiring to a bigger transformation. A  manufacturing company may start with the simple goal of converting the data in silos to a common data warehouse as a first step for data visualization and then gradually move towards predictive analytics. Recap the story of the Rosetans the first batch of few men ventured the journey to test the situation in the new prosperous land. Then they slowly migrated en masse.
• Your problem is unique: The DNA of your organization is different from others and the problem you aspire to solve is different. Do not get carried away by off-the-shelf approaches. A problem well formulated is half solved. Certain problems need complex and bespoke algorithms and approaches to reach the optimal solution. The Rosetans problem is complex but they found the prosperous land and performed their known vocation to make fortune. This is essentially solving their problem in a new land with old experience as their problem was unique.
• Do not get inspired by the competition: The competitions have their strategies to adopt data science. Never get inspired by their tools and techniques. That may not fit your organization’s culture and motives. The Rosetans succeeded with low heart attack rates due to continuing their food style and vocation though it was arduous. But they never failed to adopt a new strategy of migrating to the United States. Have your business problems and goals acts as the focal point of the data science initiative rather than the peer pressure.

Data science adoption is a cultural shift in your organization. This needs careful planning right from the goal drafting, benefits analysis, and partner shortlisting. The next levels of deciding the tools, architecture, and execution strategy, will be simple if the data science strategy is weighed on the corporate goals.