Certificate in Business Analytics

Module 1:  Descriptive Analytics:  And So It Begins….

The foundation of any analytics begins with descriptive analytics.  We’ll discuss what analytics is (and isn’t), as well as the tools and methods that are commonly used to perform analytics and communicate results.  Students will be presented with examples of descriptive, predictive and prescriptive analytics, with an emphasis on concrete examples of each from business.  Then we’ll dive into a dataset and produce the fundamental statistics and analyses that will underpin our later work.

Module 2:  Wrangle Your Data and Show It Who’s Boss

It’s a well-known rule of thumb among data scientists that 80% of project time is spent cleaning, validating, wrangling and prepping the data, and just 20% on the actual analysis.  Skipping this step risks ending up with incorrect findings that harm the business.   (Garbage in, garbage out.)  This module will present a systematic way to clean and validate your data, along with creating new variables and tackling missing data.  We’ll put these ideas into use when we merge data from several systems across a business into one dataset that will be used to answer the C-suite’s questions.

Module 3:  Visualizing Your Data So You Can “See” What’s Going On

We saw ways to get a sense of what your data looks like earlier, in Module 1.  But let’s go a bit deeper.  What if our story is more complex?  What techniques can we use?  And, on a more basic level, how does the human brain perceive objects, and how can we leverage that to help get our point across?  We’ll review best practices for presenting data through visual methods including graphs, infographics, and dashboards.  We’ll weigh the pros and cons of each, and discuss the merits of different types of charts, graphs and visuals to deliver your message.

Module 4:  Predictive Analytics:  Tell Me What the Future Has in Store….

One especially helpful use of analytics for business is forecasting.  We’ll review several types of forecasting that are regularly employed by businesses, time-series (trend lines, moving averages)  and associative (correlation, regression).   No method is perfect, however, and we’ll discuss the advantages of each as well as the drawbacks.  We’ll also look at some of the common pitfalls that both analysts and decision-makers make, and suggest ways to mitigate for that.

Module 5:  Data Storytelling

Now that you have solid analyses that answer your business questions, it’s time to present them so that your audience actually understands them and can make business decisions based on them.  That’s where data storytelling comes in.  We’ll investigate several story types, and learn which are more useful in a business setting.  And we’ll build upon concepts from the earlier “Data Visualization” module to craft persuasive, approachable data stories for our audience.

Module 6:  Qualitative Techniques:  Making Sense of Words

Not all data is in the form of numbers.  Text and words are data, too, and we can use qualitative analysis techniques to find the patterns and associations hidden within.  In this module we’ll consider methods to analyze survey data, especially customer satisfaction data, and discuss the ways we can use the techniques covered in previous modules to communicate findings and implications.    

What You Will Need:

• MS Excel with Data Analysis Tookpak loaded
• Either Tableau or Flourish (free) for visualization
• Computer or laptop with Zoom capabilities (dual screens recommended)
• Quiet place to attend class, discuss course content, and work on course objectives

Modules & Certificate Schedule Summer/Fall 2023:

• Module 1: Descriptive Analytics: And So It Begins...
  • September 13 & September 20, 2023
• Module 2: Wrangle Your Date and Show It Who's Boss
  • September 27 & October 4, 2023
• Module 3: Visualizing Your Data So You Can "See" What's Going On
  • October 11 & October 18, 2023
• Module 4: Predictive Analytics: Tell Me What The Future Has in Store...
  • October 25 & November 1, 2023
• Module 5: Data Storytelling
  • November 8 & November 15, 2023
• Module 6: Qualitative Techniques: Making Sense of Words
  • November 29 & December 6, 2023