Managing Analytics Projects

What does it take to deliver a successful analytics project? Implementing the right method to analyze data is just one ingredient. Analytic project success is often determined by the framing of the problem, the selection of the data sources, the composition of the analytics team, and communication of results. While there are many books and courses that cover modeling, there are fewer opportunities for students to learn about non-modeling topics, where the bulk of analytic project time is often spent. This course is designed to fill this gap. We using a decision-based framework based on experience from a consulting perspective, talking about analytics with clients and delivering analytics-related engagements. The classes will make extensive use of case studies and discussions to illustrate the concepts, and students will also work in small groups to define, implement and present the results of an analytics project. Along the way students will learn how to:

• Incorporate vertical industry and horizontal process knowledge when gathering requirements
• Create an analytics project plan, including budgeting and staffing
• Select a cost-effective combination of internal and data sources
• Design analytic interfaces and visualizations for a variety of users
• Assist organizations with strategies to evolve their analytics capabilities