Decision Making During Turmoil: How Well Are We Prepared?

In order to make profitable decisions, we need good information.  Whether we base our decisions on sales, customer perceptions or the number of widgets we shipped last month, our information comes from some system that collects and measures relevant data for us.

In my Six Sigma Black Belt class we recently discussed the challenges of developing [...]

Why We Need Good Data

Recently, while working on input for a decision tree, I ran into a scenario that reminded me of the fact that we cannot improve a decision simply by applying a tool or technique. We also need good data.

Here is a hypothetical example: Let us assume we are a contractor who is evaluating a fixed bid [...]

When Data Details Matter

Ted Cuzzillo, the author behind the datadoodle blog, got me thinking about data details today.  When do they matter and when do they distract from what matters?

Being a data analyst means that I love details: the more the better, so I can understand how they form the Big Picture.  Intrinsically, I am drawn to graphs [...]