Building a Data Science Team (Coursera)

Building a Data Science Team (Coursera)

Data science is a team sport. As a data science executive it is your job to recruit, organize, and manage the team to success. In this one-week course, we will cover how you can find the right people to fill out your data science team, how to organize them to give them the best chance to feel empowered and successful, and how to manage your team as it grows.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

This is a focused course designed to rapidly get you up to speed on the process of building and managing a data science team. Our goal was to make this as convenient as possible for you without sacrificing any essential content. We've left the technical information aside so that you can focus on managing your team and moving it forward.
After completing this course you will know.

  1. The different roles in the data science team including data scientist and data engineer
  2. How the data science team relates to other teams in an organization
  3. What are the expected qualifications of different data science team members
  4. Relevant questions for interviewing data scientists
  5. How to manage the onboarding process for the team
  6. How to guide data science teams to success
  7. How to encourage and empower data science teams

What You Will Learn

  • Describe the various roles that make up a Data Science team
  • Manage a Data Science team onboarding
  • Know relevant questions for interviewing data scientists
  • Understand how to encourage and empower Data Science teams

Course 2 of 5 in the Executive Data Science Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Building a Data Science Team
Welcome to Building a Data Science Team! This course is one module, intended to be taken in one week. the course works best if you follow along with the material in the order it is presented. Each lecture consists of videos and reading materials and every lecture has a 5 question quiz. You need to get 4 out of 5 or better on the quiz to pass. Overall the quizzes are worth 17% of your grade each, with the exception of the last quiz, which is worth 15%. I'm excited to have you in the class and look forward to your contributions to the learning community. Click Discussions to see forums where you can discuss the course material with fellow students taking the class. Be sure to introduce yourself to everyone in the Meet and Greet forum.If you have questions about course content, please post them in the forums to get help from others in the course community. Good luck as you get started, and I hope you enjoy the course! -Jeff

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Liderar equipes (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Liderar equipes (Coursera)

Neste curso, você aprenderá como construir sua equipe, melhorar o trabalho em equipe e a colaboração e sustentar o desempenho da equipe por meio de aprendizado e melhoria contínuos. Especificamente, você aprenderá as melhores práticas para compor uma equipe e alinhar as metas individuais e da equipe. Você também aprenderá como estabelecer funções, criar estruturas e gerenciar a tomada de decisões para que sua equipe se sobressaia.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Experimentation for Improvement (Coursera) Coursera
McMaster University

Experimentation for Improvement (Coursera)

We are always using experiments to improve our lives, our community, and our work. Are you doing it efficiently? Or are you (incorrectly) changing one thing at a time and hoping for the best? In this course, you will learn how to plan efficient experiments - testing with many variables. Our goal is to find the best results using only a few experiments. A key part of the course is how to optimize a system.

Nov 9th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Data Scientist Career Guide and Interview Preparation (Coursera) Coursera
IBM

Data Scientist Career Guide and Interview Preparation (Coursera)

This course is designed to prepare you to enter the job market as a data scientist. It provides guidance about the regular functions and tasks of data scientists and their place in the data ecosystem, as well as the opportunities of the profession and some options for career development. It explains practical techniques for creating essential job-seeking materials such as a resume and a portfolio, as well as auxiliary tools like a cover letter and an elevator pitch.

Nov 2nd 2026
3 Weeks
Understanding China, 1700-2000: A Data Analytic Approach, Part 1 (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Understanding China, 1700-2000: A Data Analytic Approach, Part 1 (Coursera)

The purpose of this course is to summarize new directions in Chinese history and social science produced by the creation and analysis of big historical datasets based on newly opened Chinese archival holdings, and to organize this knowledge in a framework that encourages learning about China in comparative perspective. Our course demonstrates how a new scholarship of discovery is redefining what is singular about modern China and modern Chinese history.

Oct 26th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Managing Innovation: Ambidexterity, Teams and Leading Change (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Managing Innovation: Ambidexterity, Teams and Leading Change (Coursera)

You may have noticed that what is new often behaves differently than what has become accepted over time, whether it is in a market, or a technology, or involves people and firms. Much research supports these general ideas, and one implication is that management of innovation often requires different approaches and skills than management in established arenas. This course helps you develop a perspective on managing innovation. That is, you will build your capability to lead and design your organization to effectively implement innovation initiatives and achieve their strategic intent.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
AI for Efficient Programming: Harnessing the Power of LLMs (Coursera) Coursera
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center

AI for Efficient Programming: Harnessing the Power of LLMs (Coursera)

This course on Artificial Intelligence (AI) for software development explores the use of AI large language models such as ChatGPT, Bard, and others and their potential benefits and challenges. Through examples and hands-on activities, you will develop an understanding of the ways in which AI can speed up software development tasks and free up time for more creative and strategic work.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Foundations of Data Science: K-Means Clustering in Python (Coursera) Coursera
University of London,Goldsmiths, University of London

Foundations of Data Science: K-Means Clustering in Python (Coursera)

This MOOC, designed by an academic team from Goldsmiths, University of London, will quickly introduce you to the core concepts of Data Science to prepare you for intermediate and advanced Data Science courses. It focuses on the basic mathematics, statistics and programming skills that are necessary for typical data analysis tasks.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Como engajar equipes e criar cultura em ambientes virtuais (Coursera) Coursera
FIA Business School

Como engajar equipes e criar cultura em ambientes virtuais (Coursera)

O programa é muito útil tanto para líderes quanto para membros de equipes virtuais. Os conhecimentos obtidos permite que você forme, participe e lidere equipes de maneira mais eficaz, principalmente em situações de mudança e transformação digital. O processo de aprendizagem é dinâmico, interativo e prático. Neste programa você aprenderá a reconhecer aspectos da cultura de uma equipe em ambientes virtuais que a maioria das pessoas normalmente desconhece. Frequentemente, são esses aspectos, aparentemente sem importância, que têm o maior efeito sobre os resultados coletivos da equipe.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Data Science in Stratified Healthcare and Precision Medicine (Coursera) Coursera
University of Edinburgh

Data Science in Stratified Healthcare and Precision Medicine (Coursera)

An increasing volume of data is becoming available in biomedicine and healthcare, from genomic data, to electronic patient records and data collected by wearable devices. Recent advances in data science are transforming the life sciences, leading to precision medicine and stratified healthcare. In this course, you will learn about some of the different types of data and computational methods involved in stratified healthcare and precision medicine.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Artificial Intelligence for Breast Cancer Detection (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Artificial Intelligence for Breast Cancer Detection (Coursera)

Through interactive lectures and module exercises, this course illustrates the potential of artificial intelligence in breast imaging. Topics include an introduction of breast cancer and breast imaging, introduction to artificial intelligence in image analysis and computer image processing of cancer detection. The course intends to provide students basic understanding of artificial intelligence approaches to breast cancer detection.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Visualization for Data Journalism (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Visualization for Data Journalism (Coursera)

While telling stories with data has been part of the news practice since its earliest days, it is in the midst of a renaissance. Graphics desks which used to be deemed as “the art department,” a subfield outside the work of newsrooms, are becoming a core part of newsrooms’ operation. Those people (they often have various titles: data journalists, news artists, graphic reporters, developers, etc.) who design news graphics are expected to be full-fledged journalists and work closely with reporters and editors.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks