Harvard Data Science Review

Analytics and Data Science

Standardization and
Assessment Framework
Usama Fayyad , Hamit Hamutcu

Published on: Apr 30, 2020

Updated on: Apr 22, 2020
DOI: 10.1162/99608f92.1a99e67a
Harvard Data Science Review Analytics and Data Science Standardization and Assessment Framework

ABSTRAC T
As the industry races to harness the power of data, demand for data professionals is growing at an
increasing rate. However, almost every organization has a unique way of defining roles in data science
and associated skills and knowledge. This has resulted in a confusing industry landscape for
employers, academic and training institutions, and existing and aspiring data professionals. This
report is the first in a series authored by Initiative for Analytics and Data Science Standards (IADSS).
We review the history of data science, which we trace back to 1974, and emergence of data science as a
profession in the industry, followed by a classification of knowledge and skills commonly associated
with data professionals, pointing out to a lack of detailed and consistent treatment of the topic. We
then present a Data Science Knowledge Framework, that we believe can support industry
standardization and building measurement and assessment methodologies for data professionals.

Keywords: data science roles, skills and knowledge, hiring and assessment, industry standards