Reports take more than two weeks to build, and execs run their own spreadsheets
Data Strategy Consulting Services
Go from vision to visionary with a tailored data strategy.
From fraud detection to customer satisfaction, we help you strike a balance among speed, stability, and cost through a well-wrought data strategy. Our data strategy consultants have worked across the business and the technology side, so the plan you approve is the plan your team can execute.
Recognized byQlik, Snowflake, Databricks, dbt
Qlik Solution Partner of the Year, ’13, ’17, ’19
200+ companies guided
In one paragraph
What a data strategy consulting service actually is.
An external engagement that audits your data assets, defines a target architecture, and delivers a prioritized roadmap tied to measurable business outcomes, sequenced and ready for your data team to execute.
200+Companies guided since 2008
3x
Qlik Solution Partner of the Year
Qlik Solution Partner of the Year
The Foundation for Long-term Success with Data
What is a data strategy consulting service?
A data strategy consulting service is a structured engagement in which experienced consultants assess how an organization captures, stores, governs, and uses data, then produce a prioritized roadmap that aligns data investments with business outcomes.
The deliverable is not a philosophy. It is a sequenced plan covering data quality, platforms, governance, talent, and the order in which initiatives should be funded. For our clients, this work answers four questions in plain English: what is our data actually worth right now? What is blocking us from getting more out of it? Which two or three bets will move the business in the next twelve months? And how do we resource them without breaking the run-the-business roadmap?
We work with you to lay out the logic of your strategy and define the steps you will take to realize your goals.
At a glance
- Methodology: our four-stage framework: Discover, Map, Navigate, Adjust
- Engagement packages: Quick Start, Tailored Data Strategy, or a Custom Plan
- Core deliverables: current-state assessment, target architecture, prioritized roadmap, governance operating model, executive business case
- Frameworks applied: DAMA-DMBOK, DCAM, plus a use-case-first product lens
- Track record: 200+ companies guided, Qlik Elite Solution Provider, Solution Partner of the Year ’13, ’17, ’19
Data Strategy Services
Capabilities that turn data into a competitive advantage.
Whether you are seeking to address core use cases or carry out a first capability assessment, we partner across the dimensions of data management.
Data strategy assessment
We assess your current environment, expose risks, and diagnose where data is creating drag across people, process, platforms, and governance.
Strategy definition & execution
We translate outcomes into a sequenced, ROI-backed plan, and then stay on the field with your team through implementation.
Use-case identification
Our consultants have shipped on the business side and the tech side. We rank optimal use cases for your objectives, industry, and culture.
Enterprise architecture
We design a vendor-neutral reference architecture that governs how technology, standards, and tooling serve your business, at the size you actually need.
Governance & risk
We balance security, access, and stewardship so your strategy does not bottleneck the business, or hand the auditor a problem in year two.
Executive advisory
Board-level guidance for CEOs, CFOs, and CDOs translating data investment into business outcomes the rest of the C-suite can rally around.
How We Work
Our data strategy framework: Discover, Map, Navigate, Adjust.
A four-stage engagement that takes you from a diagnosis of where you stand today to a strategy that adapts as your business does.
1
Discover. Diagnose your current state.
What are you trying to achieve with your data?
We assess your overall environment, expose risk, and diagnose your situation. Our consultants dive into the critical dimensions of your data (quality, sources, security, governance) to recommend a path with evident long-term value.
Outputs: Data Maturity Assessment · Use Case Identification · Data Mapping · Team Training & Enablement
2
Map. Document the strategy.
How do you begin to document your strategy, practically speaking?
You may already have an idea of what you should do, you just need to put it on paper. Once we’ve pinpointed your objectives, requirements, and current state, we establish scope and consolidate it into clear documentation your team and your CFO can both work from.
Outputs: Architecture Design · Vendor Selection · Gap Analysis & Roadmap · Data Governance & Compliance · Data Migration Planning
3
Navigate. Implement with confidence.
What comes first?
You’ve got a map of your current environment, documentation of your needs, and a recommended path to your ideal state. Now we determine the most valuable first steps you can take, and partner with you through implementation as your conscientious guide through it all.
Outputs: Implementation · Change Management & Communication · Ongoing Performance Monitoring · Employee Enablement
4
Adjust. Adapt as priorities evolve.
What comes next?
At this stage, it’s time to consider the next-most-valuable steps. Budgets, leadership, and priorities change. As your circumstances evolve, we help you navigate choppy waters (as well as smooth seas) so your capabilities keep adding tangible value.
Outputs: Technology Additions · Employee Enablement · Leadership Advisory Services · Managed Services
Engagement packages
Data strategy packages for every stage.
Three fixed-scope ways to engage our data strategy consultants. Pick the one that matches your timeline, budget, and decision pressure.
01
Get startedData Strategy Quick Start
For teams that need a directional plan, fast.
- Executive & stakeholder interviews
- Lightweight current-state assessment
- Top use-case shortlist with sizing
- Directional 12-month roadmap
- Board-ready summary deck
Most Chosen
02
Plan your roadmapTailored Data Strategy
A full roadmap built to your business, end to end.
- Full current-state assessment
- Target reference architecture
- Use-case backlog with value & effort scoring
- Governance operating model
- Sequenced 12-month roadmap
- ROI model & executive business case
03
Talk scopeCustom Data Strategy Plan
Ongoing advisory through execution.
- Principal consultant embedded with your team
- Weekly working sessions & quarterly re-planning
- Vendor reviews & platform decisions
- Executive readouts & board prep
- Strategy stays alive through delivery
Paired with DI Squared developers’ expertise, Qlik has revolutionized the way we visualize and interact with our data. Together, DI Squared and Qlik allowed us to rapidly address critical data reporting gaps.
Sandra Grogg
Technical Product Manager, Dorman Products
If there is ever something I cannot figure out, with DI, I have a huge team of people behind me. DI Squared has been the most responsive consulting firm that I have ever worked with.
Chad Miller
VP, Finance, Hood Industries
Rakesh and the DI Squared team have been instrumental in assisting us with the development of daily management dashboards for key performance indicators at a reasonable cost.
Darlene Evans-Borinski
Sr. Director, Finance & Accounting, DNC Parks & Resorts at KSC, Inc.
We appreciate DI Squared’s insight and guidance on our Qlik projects. Your expertise and reliability are a helpful addition.
Ana Pinheiro
VP Director, Data & Visualization, Takeda Pharmaceuticals
DI Squared is a highly trusted partner with superb technical leadership and a strong focus on customer success. I have worked closely with DI Squared on all aspects of our data strategy.
James Newsom
Sr. Director, Data Services, Jacuzzi
We’re very impressed by DI Squared’s ability to quickly identify, understand, and address our challenges. With them, we enhanced reporting to better support management and the field.
Michael Leong
VP, Finance & Administration, Transcourt Inc.
DI Squared actively listened to our pain points, digested that information, and delivered an exceptional solution that’s beyond what we’d envisioned.
Meghan Ezekiel
Director, Auxiliary Services
It has been refreshing to work with the team at DI Squared. The people we work with demonstrate time and again that the company values a long term relationship with Gehl Foods.
Timothy Ringle
Business Systems Analyst
With DI Squared Qlik implementation best practices, we’ve met our project goal of implementing an enterprise-wide information management system with matured data infrastructure to provide accurate and timely analytics/metrics/reporting.
Margo L. Hershberger
Transformation & Information Management, Aerojet Rocketdyne
Triggers we hear most
Face these challenges with confidence.
If two or more of these sound familiar, a focused data strategy engagement almost always pays for itself inside a year.
What you walk away with
A data strategy roadmap your team can actually execute.
Strategy is only useful if it survives contact with delivery. Every DI Squared engagement closes with the same set of artifacts: the things your data team, your CFO, and your board need to act on day one.
The deliverable set is intentionally short, intentionally usable.
You don’t need a 200-page deck. You need the documents that move money and decisions. We close every engagement with the artifacts below, scoped to your environment and tested with the people who’ll have to live with them.
Roadmap
A prioritized 12-month plan with sequencing, owners, and dependencies
Architecture
A vendor-neutral target reference architecture sized for your team
Governance
An operating model that survives leadership turnover and reorgs
Business case
A board-ready document that makes the investment defensible
Resources
What a data strategy roadmap actually delivers.
What Can Sports Teach Us About BI/AI?
Sports offer a playbook for smarter analytics, revealing how data-driven decisions, KPIs, and predictive insights…
Tracking Safety Incidents in Utility Field Service: A Functional and Data Driven Imperative
Whether installing meters, restoring service after outages, performing inspections, or responding to emergency calls, these…
Combining Geospatial and Nongeospatial Data for Better Reliability and Customer Experience
Transform how you see reliability, risk, and customer experience by uniting geospatial and nongeospatial utility…
Technologies we work with
Vendor-neutral. Fluent in the platforms that matter.
Our consultants hold certifications across the modern data stack. We recommend what fits your team, not what fits a partner quota.
Databricks unifies data engineering, analytics, and AI on a scalable platform and streamlines pipelines for eye-opening insights.
Power BI transforms data into actionable insights with interactive dashboards and reports, alongside seamless integrations.
Qlik delivers exceptional analytics and data integration solutions to empower companies. It seamlessly integrates with your systems.
Snowflake’s secure, scalable, and flexible architecture supports seamless data sharing and data storage.
Microsoft Azure is a comprehensive cloud platform offering tools for data integration, analytics, and artificial intelligence.
We work across SAP’s robust suite of tools, which supports data management and insights to drive business transformation.
Frequently asked
Data strategy consulting, answered.
Q: What is a data strategy consulting service?
A: A data strategy consulting service is an engagement where external consultants assess a company’s data assets, governance, architecture, and use cases, then produce a prioritized roadmap that aligns data investments with business outcomes. The deliverable is typically a 12 to 24 month plan covering data quality, platforms, governance, and the order in which initiatives should be funded.
Q: How long does a data strategy engagement take?
A: It depends on scope. A Quick Start produces a directional plan in a matter of weeks. A Tailored Data Strategy adds detailed architecture, governance design, and an implementation backlog over a longer engagement. A Custom Plan is sized to the work. We confirm a fixed timeline before kickoff.
Q: What does a data strategy consultant deliver?
A: Four core artifacts: a current-state assessment of data sources, quality, and gaps; a target-state reference architecture; a prioritized 12-month roadmap with sequencing and dependencies; and an ROI model that ties each initiative to measurable business value. Most engagements also include a governance operating model and a stakeholder communication plan.
Q: How much does data strategy consulting cost?
A: Fees vary by scope, organization size, and number of business units involved. A short discovery is materially less than a full multi-month roadmap; enterprise engagements covering several business units run higher. We scope each engagement to the work and put a fixed proposal in front of you before kickoff. Reach out for a tailored estimate.
Q: What is the difference between data strategy and data governance?
A: Data strategy is the destination: what business outcomes data should drive and which capabilities you need to build. Data governance is one of the operating mechanisms that gets you there. It defines the policies, roles, and controls that ensure data is trusted, secure, and used appropriately. Strategy comes first; governance is designed to serve it.
Q: When should a company hire a data strategy consultant?
A: The most common triggers are a stalled BI or analytics program, a planned ERP or platform migration, M&A integration, an AI initiative without a data foundation, or board-level pressure to monetize data. If reports take more than two weeks to build or executives do not trust the numbers, an engagement typically pays back in under a year.
Q: What frameworks do data strategy consultants use?
A: Most consultants combine elements of the DAMA-DMBOK body of knowledge, the DCAM data management capability assessment model, and McKinsey’s value-chain framing. Our framework adds a use-case-first lens borrowed from product management, ensuring every architectural decision traces back to a quantified business outcome rather than a theoretical capability.
Q: Do you replace our internal data team?
A: No. We are explicitly designed to make your internal data team more effective, not redundant. The roadmap includes a talent and operating-model section that defines what stays in-house, what gets outsourced, and where you may need to hire (usually one or two senior roles, not a department).
Think strategically with us
Let's design your data future.
Book a 30-minute call with a principal data strategy consultant. We’ll tell you on the call whether a discovery sprint, a full engagement, or no engagement at all is the right answer.