Professional development is important to ensure that staff and leaders have the skills and knowledge needed for the ever-growing demand for data and analytics. How do office leaders rate the effectiveness of their staff and professional development opportunities?  

In the 2018 National Survey of IR Offices, we asked office leaders to rate staff regarding their knowledge and skills. We learned:

• An overwhelming majority (94%) of office leaders said their staff continually work to improve their knowledge and skills.
• A large majority (87%) of office leaders said their staff had the appropriate educational background and training for their work.

We also asked office leaders to assess the professional development provided to their staff. Here, they were less positive. We learned that:

• 73% said their office provided sufficient development/training for their staff to continue improving their knowledge and skills.
• Fewer (67%) said their office’s development/training was adequate to meet institutional expectations.