LearnHub getAbstract
Behind Every Good Decision
Book

Behind Every Good Decision

How Anyone Can Use Business Analytics to Turn Data into Profitable Insight

Piyanka Jain and Puneet Sharma
AMACOM, 2014
Buy the book

Read, Listen, or Discuss

Amazon Kindle  Discuss
  • 0.5×
  • 0.75×
  • 1×
  • 1.25×
  • 1.5×
  • 1.75×
1×

Editorial Rating

8

getAbstract Rating

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Experienced data scientists Piyanka Jain and Puneet Sharma offer an exceptionally clear, illustrated guide to data analysis, including meaningful, real case studies and actionable best practices. Jain and Sharma argue that basic analytics – which you can do in Excel – address 80% of all business problems, if you ask the right questions. They say that non-analysts, like managers and marketers, can learn powerful analytical tools easily and conduct their own analyses without a professional analyst or data scientist. Unless you have a particular interest, you can skip chapter five on predictive analytics. Otherwise, getAbstract recommends this commonsense, practical approach to managers, executives, entrepreneurs and professionals who don’t analyze for a living.

Summary

Not Rocket Science

Most data problems do not require professional analysts. Ordinary practitioners and managers with minimal training can conduct powerful analyses using basic tools like Microsoft Excel. Start by identifying the problem your business needs to solve. For example, feedback might suggest that your “customer engagement” is low. Canvass experts in the organization to get their thoughts. Test their hypotheses against the data. Use basic data analysis to eliminate all but the best ideas and to reveal insights that fuel the necessary actions and decisions. Implement the solution on a trial basis, test it and then roll it out.

Keep It Simple

When Circuit City faced financial problems in 2000, it fired top talent, moved from prime locations to cheaper suburban malls and closed its home appliance business. Its leaders made these decisions without analysis or evidence. Each proved disastrous and Circuit City collapsed.

Instead of acting on hunches, analyze your information. Suppose you must find a ship that sank in the Pacific Ocean in 1715. You could set sail without planning and send your mini-sub into places you think the wreck might be. ...

About the Authors

Experienced data scientists Piyanka Jain and Puneet Sharma consult with organizations worldwide on data analysis strategy and predictive analytics.

Comment on this summary

More on this topic

Learners who read this summary also read

Data Driven
Book

Jenny Dearborn

Data Driven

How Performance Analytics Delivers Extraordinary Sales Results
Drive Business Performance
Book

Bruno Aziza and Joey Fitts

Drive Business Performance

Enabling a Culture of Intelligent Execution
The Data Driven Leader
Book

Jenny Dearborn and David Swanson

The Data Driven Leader

A Powerful Approach to Delivering Measurable Business Impact Through People Analytics
Winning with Data
Book

Tomasz Tunguz and Frank Bien

Winning with Data

Transform Your Culture, Empower Your People, and Shape the Future
Be Data Analytical
Book

Jordan Morrow

Be Data Analytical

How to Use Analytics to Turn Data into Value
The Value of Business Analytics
Book

Evan Stubbs

The Value of Business Analytics

Identifying the Path to Profitability

    Related Skills

    Advance Your Career
    Be Emotionally Intelligent
    Become More Adaptable
    Become More Productive
    Communicate Effectively
    Develop a Business Plan
    Develop Innovative Products
    Develop the Organization
    Develop Your Thinking Skills
    Digital Transformation
    Discover and Understand Digital Technologies
    Discover Economy
    Markets in India
    Markets in Switzerland
    Sports Industry
    Drive Digital Marketing
    Enhance Employee Experience
    Entrepreneurship
    Execute Digital Operations
    Human Resources
    Innovation
    Lead Operational Planning
    Leverage AI for Finance
    Leverage AI for HR
    Leverage AI for Product Development
    Leverage AI for Sales
    Leverage AI in Your Daily Tasks
    Live Well
    Manage Change
    Manage Learning and Development
    Manage People and Talent
    Manage Performance
    Manage Teams and Departments
    Marketing
    Master Marketing Strategy
    Navigate Leadership Challenges
    Personal Growth
    Place Talent Strategically
    Plan Financial Performance
    Production and Logistics
    Sales
    Shape Organizational Culture
    Soft Skills
    Strengthen Your Digital Literacy
    Understand AI
    Understand Innovation
    Use AI for Production & Supply Chain
    Workplace Skills
    Present Data
    Set Business Goals
    Build Your Startup
    Understand AI Impact on Work
    Cultivate Curiosity
    Finance Industry Case Studies
    Sports Industry Best Practices
    Innovate Business Models
    Understand Consumer Behavior
    Energy Industry
    Start-up Case Studies
    Leverage AI for Business Strategy
    Future of Tourism
    Implement Coaching Programs
    Understand Human Behavior
    Use AI for Demand Forecasting
    Leverage Advertising
    Plan Your Career
    Use AI for User Research
    Drive Direct Marketing
    Education Sector
    Markets in Asia
    Markets in China
    Understand Organizational Culture
    Understand Yourself
    Use AI with Company Knowledge
    Corporate Finances
    Develop Financial Literacy
    Consumer Behavior in India
    Consumer Behavior in Switzerland
    Innovate Strategically
    Understand Organizational Change
    Analyze Competition
    Drive AI Transformation
    Evaluate Employees
    Discover AI Use Cases
    Leverage Ambidexterity
    Manage Talent
    Organize for AI
    Use AI for Feature Prioritization
    Use AI for Financial Forecasting
    Identify Customer Needs
    Market Insights by Industry
    Create Financial Models
    Drive Team Performance
    Plan AI Workforce Transformation
    Behavioral Economics
    Understand Cognition
    Understand Organizations
    Use AI for Data Analysis
    Make Good Decisions
    Mitigate Cognitive Biases
    Plan Strategically
    Analyze User Data
    Career
    Automotive Industry
    Measure AI Business Impact
    Optimize Workforce Performance
    Understand AI Impact on Business and Economy
    Decide Under Uncertainty
    Finance Industry
    Master Budgeting
    Lead Strategically
    Market Insights by Region
    Succeed in a New Job
    Set and Achieve Goals
    Set and Track KPIs
    Lead Through Crises
    Discover Marketing Trends
    Lead Yourself
    Understand Motivation
    Apply Market Segmentation
    Use AI for Learning & Development
    Executive Leadership Case Studies
    Master Logical Reasoning
    Use AI Ethically as a Leader
    Retail Industry
    Understand Economics
    AI Transformation
    Consumer Behavior in Asia
    Think Scientifically
    Use AI for Market Analysis
    Agriculture Industry
    Communicate Strategically
    Leverage AI for Marketing
    Consumer Behavior Trends
    Use AI for Customer Segmentation
    Manage Your Leadership Impact
    Legal Services
    Leverage AI for Leadership
    Choose AI Priorities
    Emerging Market Trends
    Apply Data-Driven Marketing
    Drive Continuous Improvement
    Set AI Vision & Strategy
    Measure L&D Impact
    Use AI for Sales Forecasting
    Think Critically
    Make Data-Driven Decisions
    Use AI for Marketing Analytics
    Leverage AI for Management
    Drive Organizational Performance
    Leadership
    Management
    Tourism Industry
    Understand Statistics
    Use AI for Decision Support
    Executive Leadership
    Discover and Understand Data Analytics and Big Data
    Understand Data
    Analyze Data
    Think Analytically