Community building

Build & grow your data science community

Communities help us discover new capabilities, connect with others, and solve problems faster. They help us get unstuck and prevent us from reinventing the wheel.

Help Me Get Started Apply for Community Support

First things first

It doesn't have to be perfect right away.

Think of this as an experiment. It’s okay to try new things and see what works best. Everything isn’t set in stone. Experiment to see what works well for people across your company. Every team may be different.

Identify your goal

The best communities start with a simple question: what do you want people to get out of this? Whether it's connecting colleagues, growing data literacy, or solving shared problems, your goal shapes everything else.

Start small

You don't need a big audience to get started. Find a core group of five people, and be intentional about including diverse perspectives from across the business from day one. Hold one event and build from there.

Be consistent

Communities don't grow overnight, but they do grow when people know what to expect. Pick a cadence, whether it's once a month or once a week, and stick to the same day and format. Consistency helps turn a one-time attendee into a regular.

Community Tip

Welcome people into your party

Think of your community event like a party at your house. Welcome people in, show them around, and introduce them to someone they'd enjoy talking to. Remember that every event may be someone's first time there. Engagement grows when people feel comfortable, and it's the small intentional gestures that turn a one-time attendee into a regular.

Scalability through standardization

Regis James, Associate Director of Data Science at Regeneron thinks about community building the way an engineer thinks about a pipeline. He identifies potential members through the company directory, reaches out once with a warm standardized message, and onboards the people who respond into a clear, welcoming structure. The result is an engaged community that keeps growing organically.

Watch the full Hangout

Play video Community building with Regis James at Regeneron
Successful change management

Dooti Roy, Executive Director, Head of Innovation, Clinical Data Sciences at Boehringer Ingelheim shares that community is an instrumental piece of their change management. She highlights, "From starting with the early adopters, these people build up the community from ground up and now it has become a safe space where people just come throw questions and the community helps each other out...to understand things that are different from their day to day work and how to implement it and what the challenges are. It's really lovely to see."

Watch the full Hangout

Play video Community as a key driver of transformation | Boehringer

The biggest challenges?

Two things that trip up new community builders: waiting for volunteers and trying to please everyone. Communities that thrive aren't the ones waiting for people to raise their hands. They're the ones with someone behind the scenes personally inviting, welcoming, and planning. It's a bigger job than it looks, but it's also what makes all the difference. Libby and Rachael at Posit have learned most of what they know about community building by just getting started and actually doing it.

Watch the full Hangout

Libby Heeren, Host of the Data Science Hangout