160: Leveraging Data and Analytics for Operational Excellence with Michiko Wolcott

160: Leveraging Data and Analytics for Operational Excellence with Michiko Wolcott

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About Podcast

This Episode is Sponsored By:

In today’s fast paced business landscape, scaling isn’t merely about expansion it’s about smart, strategic growth. For Michiko Wolcott, founder and CEO of MSight Analytics, the road from balancing a near complete doctoral piano performance program to pioneering data-driven operational excellence was fueled by a passion for patterns, people, and process.

In this episode, Michiko opens up about her journey from learning English through piano lessons in rural Alabama to leading multimarket analytics initiatives for Fortune 500 clients. Faced with clients who treated data like a shiny object rather than a problem-solving tool, she reveals how she introduced Lean Thinking, post-mortem process mapping, and cross-functional collaboration to transform chronic project overruns into an 80% on-time delivery rate.

Key Takeaways:

  • How marrying musical discipline with mathematical rigor fosters a systems mindset.
  • Why shifting focus from “doing data” to defining the real business problem is critical.
  • Steps to build an organizational infrastructure that nurtures operational excellence.
  • Practical tactics for mapping and optimizing workflows without fancy tools.
  • The evolution from waterfall baseline to agile sprints for sustainable delivery.

Join us for an honest and motivating conversation packed with insight, operational grit, and a touch of Lean philosophy perfect for founders, leaders, and anyone looking to operationalize data with purpose and people at the center.

Tune in to hear how Michiko Wolcott is helping businesses cure their back office blues and what every entrepreneur can learn about scaling with clarity, collaboration, and a commitment to solving real-world problems.

  • Course Objectives
  • Episode Info
  • Resources
  • Credits
  • Bios
  • Set Clear Outcomes : Learn to articulate business goals before invoking “data,” “analytics,” or “AI,” so every effort tackles a real problem.
    Create Human-Centered Systems : Learn to map stakeholders, break down silos, and enable cross-team collaboration on analytics projects.
    Turn Data into Insights : Learn to design workflows that reliably convert raw inputs into actionable recommendations.
    Use Lean to Optimize Delivery : Learn to apply value-stream mapping, waste elimination, and postmortem reviews to speed analytics projects.
    Shift to Agile Sprints : Learn to start with classic project phases and evolve into sprint cycles balancing quick wins with longer-term builds.

  • Special Guest: Michiko Wolcott, Managing Partner & Principal Consultant – Msight Analytics, LLC

    Location: Palm Harbor, FL  USA

    Air Date: August 1, 2021

  • Websites:

    Professional Organizations: 

    • The International Council of Management Consulting Institutes (ICMCI): an international maangement consulting professional body comprised of individual, country-based Institutes of Management Consulting (IMCs) as members. These member organizations offer a network of advisors and consultants who adhere to professional standards and practices in management consulting. They offer a Certified Management Consultant (CMC) designation which indicates a member with the “…knowledge, competence, commitment and peer acceptance…” in delivering a high level of management consulting.

    Software: 

    • Microsoft Visio: a flowcharting and diagramming software designed to assist in communicating ideas visually.
    • Lucidchart: a web-based diagramming application that enables teams to quickly visualize and collaborate on processes, systems, and organizational structure.
    • Google Analytics: a free Google tool that tracks and reports website traffic.

    Videos:

    • Msight Analytics Video:

     

    Dilbert Cartoon that Michiko Referenced:

     

     

     

    • Writer, Producer & Host: Alicia Butler Pierre
    • Podcast Editor: Olanrewaju Adeyemo
    • Transcription: Outsource Global
    • Video Editor: Gladys Jimenez
    • Show Notes: Hashim Tale
    • Sponsors: HubSpot, ThinkSmart Whiteboard
  • More About Guest, Michiko Wolcott:
    Michiko is the Principal Consultant at Msight Analytics, a management consulting firm specializing in data and analytics effectiveness. A Certified Management Consultant (CMC®) backed by over 20 years of analytical project execution and delivery, she advises clients of all sizes to achieve their data and analytics aspirations, collaborating with both business and technical leaders.

    She has worked globally in a wide variety of sectors, including financial services, media and communications, retail, healthcare, life sciences, NGOs, government agencies, and humanitarian response and disaster management, and speaks regularly at industry conferences and forums. Her prior responsibilities have included serving as the Lead Data Scientist at North Highland and leading the international analytics practice at Equifax as the Vice President of International Analytics.

    Michiko holds a Master of Science degree in Statistics from Florida State University among other degrees from Florida State University and the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, including a Doctor of Music degree in Piano Performance.

    More About Host, Alicia Butler Pierre:
    Alicia Butler Pierre is the Founder & CEO of Equilibria, Inc. Her career in operations began over 20 years ago while working as an engineer in various chemical plants and oil refineries. She invented the Kasennu™ framework for business infrastructure and authored, Behind the Façade: How to Structure Company Operations for Sustainable Success.  It is the world’s first published book on business infrastructure for small businesses. Alicia hosts the weekly Business Infrastructure podcast with a global audience across 53 countries. She’s also an Adjunct Professor of Operations Management, Lean Production, and Project Management at Nichols College’s MBA program in Dudley, MA.

     

     

    More About Sponsor, HubSpot:
    HubSpot offers a full platform of marketing, sales, customer service, and Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software — plus the methodology, resources, and support — to help businesses. Their CRM platform is powered by the same database, so everyone in your organization — Marketing, Sales, Service & Operations — is working off the same system of record. This allows for a smoother handoff between teams and results in a more delightful experience for your customers.

     

    More About Sponsor, ThinkSmart Whiteboard:
    Thinksmart Whiteboard is a Windows App that turns your Tablet PC into a shared whiteboard. It allows you to create a whiteboard on your computer screen, then allows other people to write onto your whiteboard, even if they are in another location! Learn more.