Data Science & Analytics Consultancy

We have over 30 years' experience helping organisations make smarter decisions with data.

Reduce costs. Increase sales. Manage risk.

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I was really impressed with the analytical skills and can-do attitude Hartley McMaster consultants brought to our aid. With their help we were able to demonstrate hundreds of millions of pounds of potential savings for the NHS with just a single change in practice.

Andi Orlowski

Deputy Director of BI, Imperial College Health Partners

★★★★★

Gain insights into your business with data analysis

Dedicating resources to data analysis is not a luxury. Nor the preserve of large companies.

Data analysis adds real value. It helps identify problems and opportunities and informs key decisions. And modern analytical tools mean even smaller companies can profit from data analysis.

(In fact, SMEs often have the most to gain because so many of their competitors are not use data effectively.)

Top data insights businesses typically seek include:

Understanding cause and effect — what's driving revenue and costs;
Assessing the effectiveness of business actions (e.g., marketing campaigns);
Predicting sales and customer behaviour.

Our consultants can help you discover new insights into your business and market. Just what you need for an edge over the less-savvy competition.

Using data science to make more profitable decisions

Data analysis is about looking backwards to figure out what happened and why. Data science is about looking forward and answering your 'what-if' questions.

At Hartley McMaster, we have over 30 years of experience in data science. (Since long before it was trendy.) We build analytical models and deploy them as tools to support decision-makers. Projects our consultants have worked on include:

Finding the optimum portfolio of capital asset investment for a utility company;
A workforce planning model which recommends best recruitment targets under different assumptions;
A scenario model for a pharma company which predicts financial savings from changes in working practice.

Keep your finger on the pulse with business intelligence

Do your board reports contain arid charts and desiccated tables of numbers? Are they six weeks out of date by the time you see them? Does your team spend an age wrestling data to produce them (when they have better things to do)?

Does your team rely on spreadsheets to analyse and summarise data? Research suggests 90% of spreadsheets contain errors. Are you happy with those odds?

There is a better way.

We use modern business intelligence tools to create management dashboards without the waste. Giving you a near-time overview of your business, automated to free up staff time.

Measure what matters with the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

As the saying goes: if you don't measure it, you can't manage it.

The out-of-the-box reports provided by your CRM or ERP are good to a point. But they are unlikely to be a perfect fit for your specific business, needs and objectives.

What are your objectives? To improve performance? Track quality against a benchmark standard? To manage benefits-realisation in a change programme? Who's the intended audience? Is it to inform management, investors, regulators, customers or the public?

Each requires a different approach.

At Hartley McMaster, we have experience designing performance metrics to fit business needs. Combining data from different sources, and identifying appropriate benchmarks and targets.

Don't just measure what's easy, measure what matters.

De-risk business processes and improve productivity with data automation

Most businesses use different software systems for sales, HR, operations and finance. Combining data from these different sources can be labour-intensive, slow and error-prone.

Managers and analysts often spend half their time locating and processing data. That is time they could spend on more productive work. A significant opportunity cost.

The good news is that modern cloud-based systems usually support integration. This allows us to automate data extraction, making the process faster and more robust. Not to mention, freeing up staff time.

At Hartley McMaster, we have experience building these automated data pipelines. Extracting, collating and cleaning data with minimal human input required. Be it a full data warehouse or a lightweight automated business process, we can build it for you. Your managers and analysts can then focus on the high-value activities you hired them for.

Training and support for in-house analytical teams

For businesses with their own in-house data science team, Hartley McMaster can provide:

Flex capacity and capability;
Independant quality assurance for your business-critical analytical models;
Training and third-line support.

Our consultants can work on outsourced projects for you or embed into your analytical team. We can work remotely or on-site on the key projects you're unable to staff in-house.

analysis illustration: diagrams and charts

Data analytics platform: Posit enterprise software

Posit (formally RStudio) make some of the best data science tools on the market, including the ubiquitous RStudio IDE. Empowering and raising the productivity of analytical professionals since 2009.

At Hartley McMaster, we use Posit software for analysis and development in R and Python. Indeed, we like them so much we have partnered to become a licenced reseller. Their enterprise product, Posit Team, is an analytical platform comprising three products.

Posit Workbench provides tools to develop in R and Python (RStudio, VS Code, and Jupyter Notebooks).
Posit Connect allows data scientists and analysts to share their work as web apps, data-driven reports and APIs.
Posit Package Manager provides a secure source of packages for use in development.

If you run a data science team and need Posit licences or third-party support — or just want to discuss the potential benefits — please get in touch.

Some of our clients

Analytical Projects

We provide consulting services to businesses needing expert analytical advice. Our experienced data professionals can, for example:

Benchmark your current data systems and processes;
Undertake or assist with an evidenced-based options appraisal;
Develop a full data strategy for your organisation.

But where possible we prefer to roll up our sleeves and deliver more than just advice.

Our consultants can develop data products for you. We can deliver every stage of the project lifecycle. From discovery and design to implementation and user support. Examples include:

Building custom forecasting and scenario modelling tools to support business planning;
Creating a centralised management information database to enable analysis and reporting;
Redeveloping error-prone operational spreadsheets into robust, reusable tools;
Setting up a business intelligence system with key reports and interactive dashboards.

Outsourced Analytical Service

At Hartley McMaster, we get a lot of repeat business. We are able to provide the best value for money to clients who build long-term relationships with us.

For this reason, we offer a full outsourced analytical service. For a fixed monthly fee we will be your analytical team.

This is ideal for:

SMEs who want the benefits of their own dedicated analytical team, but don't have the scale to hire one;
International companies setting up a UK office and looking for a rapid, low-risk way to 'spin up' an analytical function;
Private Equity backed companies seeking an analytical capability to improve the business value.

If you are an SME thinking of creating a new analyst role, contact us for a quote. You'll be surprised. For a similar cost, we can provide guaranteed quality, with zero gaps in cover due to holidays or sickness.

For those with larger needs, we can provide a whole team without the hassle and overhead of hiring.

Technology we use

8 min read

Connecting Posit Workbench (RStudio) to GitHub with HTTPS

Mar 28, 2023 Tom Dewar

If you're an RStudio user using Posit Workbench and want to use GitHub for source control (you should), this is the guide for you. There are two ways to connect: SSH and HTTPS. Named for the...

4 min read

How to maxmise value from data analytics

Mar 8, 2023 Tom Dewar

Many companies investing in data analytics struggle to achieve the full value of their investment, perhaps even becoming disillusioned. To understand why and how to avoid this, realise first that...

4 min read

Five ways data can help your business navigate stormy waters

Oct 25, 2022 Tom Dewar

We are cursed to live in interesting times. As I write this, a war in Ukraine rumbles on, we sit on the tail of a pandemic and at the jaws of a cost-of-living crisis, energy prices and borrowing...

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