Carragee Consulting

How not to be a data analyst

Ethan Aaron points out how to grow with inexpensive, widely available tools used wisely and to good effect rather than bespoke solutions to niche or future problems.

This is a correllary to Armin Kakas post about how a quality business analyst is as or more important than a data scientist.

Mastering data and analytical fundamentals is not valued by businesses in today’s market appropriately. The true return a clever analyst can contribute with a well structured database and a few charts and a receptive audience is massive. — See Richad Nieves-Becker post on how analysts are evaluating low ball offers for their essential skills and having trouble finding jobs.

The key is, someone needs to be willing to listen to the business analyst and implement their data driven recommendations.

This won’t happen if business leaders invest in only shiny, dark themes dashboards and single function software packages.

If business leaders can drive their organization to connect understanding of problems, tools and objectives and find the analysts capable of translating between technical and business domain language amazing results can be generated.

Analytics in Action

Great chefs can manage beautiful meals with a few knives, a heap of butter and a single pot.

I wish more companies would stop buying the software equivalent of infomercial blenders and $1000 pizza ovens and just focus on hiring great analysts and embedding them in with the decision makers.