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<p>Preface xi</p> <p>Acknowledgments xix</p> <p><b>Part One Business Analytics Best Practices 1</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 1 Business Analytics: A Definition 5</b></p> <p>What Is Business Analytics? 5</p> <p>Core Concepts and Definitions 7</p> <p><b>Chapter 2 The Competitive Advantage of Business Analytics 11</b></p> <p>Advantages of Business Analytics 14</p> <p>Challenges of Business Analytics 23</p> <p>Establishing Best Practices 27</p> <p><b>Part Two The Data Scientist’s Code 29</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 3 Designing the Approach</b> <b>31</b></p> <p>Think about Competencies, Not Functions 31</p> <p>Drive Outcomes, Not Insight 36</p> <p>Automate Everything Non-Value-Added 38</p> <p>Start Flexible, Become Structured 40</p> <p>Eliminate Bottlenecks 43</p> <p><b>Chapter 4 Creating Assets 47</b></p> <p>Design Your Platform for Use, Not Purity 47</p> <p>Always Have a Plan B 52</p> <p>Know What You Are Worth 54</p> <p>Own Your Intellectual Property 57</p> <p>Minimize Custom Development 60</p> <p><b>Chapter 5 Managing Information and Making Decisions 65</b></p> <p>Understand Your Data 65</p> <p>It’s Better to Have Too Much Data Than Too Little 69</p> <p>Keep Things Simple 74</p> <p>Function Should Dictate Form 77</p> <p>Watch the Dynamic, Not Just the Static 79</p> <p><b>Part Three Practical Solutions: People and Process 85</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 6 Driving Operational Outcomes 87</b></p> <p>Augmenting Operational Systems 88</p> <p>Breaking Bottlenecks 98</p> <p>Optimizing Monitoring Processes 106</p> <p>Encouraging Innovation 113</p> <p><b>Chapter 7 Analytical Process Management 127</b></p> <p>Coping with Information Overload 128</p> <p>Keeping Everyone Aligned 137</p> <p>Allocating Responsibilities 144</p> <p>Opening the Platform 151</p> <p><b>Part Four Practical Solutions: Systems and Assets 159</b></p> <p><b>Chapter 8 Computational Architectures 161</b></p> <p>Moving Beyond the Spreadsheet 162</p> <p>Scaling Past the PC 173</p> <p>Staying Mobile and Connected 180</p> <p>Smoothing Growth with the Cloud 183</p> <p><b>Chapter 9 Asset Management 191</b></p> <p>Moving to Operational Analytics 192</p> <p>Measuring Value 202</p> <p>Measuring Performance 210</p> <p>Measuring Effort 220</p> <p>Part Five Practical Solutions: Data and Decision Making 231</p> <p><b>Chapter 10 Information Management 233</b></p> <p>Creating the Data Architecture 234</p> <p>Understanding the Data Value Chain 242</p> <p>Creating Data-Management Processes 249</p> <p>Capturing the Right Data 256</p> <p><b>Chapter 11 Decision-Making Structures 263</b></p> <p>Linking Analytics to Value 264</p> <p>Reducing Time to Recommendation 269</p> <p>Enabling Real-Time Scoring 277</p> <p>Blending Rules with Models 284</p> <p>Appendix The Cheat Sheets 291</p> <p>Glossary 313</p> <p>Further Reading 331</p> <p>About the Author 333</p> <p>Index 335</p>

<p><b>EVAN STUBBS</b> is the Chief Analytics Officer for SAS Australia / New Zealand and sits on the board of the Institute of Analytics Professionals of Australia. He is a prolific speaker and evangelist for the power of analytics, having written <i>The Value of Business Analytics,</i> a book explaining why some teams succeed while others fail. Over the years, he has developed human-machine interfaces for concept cars and models that predict criminal behavior, and has helped organizations establish analytical centers of excellence.

<p><b>DELIVERING BUSINESS ANALYTICS</b> <p>Practical Guidelines for Best Practice <p><i>Delivering Business Analytics</i> offers guidance for succeeding on a day-to-day basis, equipping designers and solution architects with an essential, keep-by-your-side reference. Whether you're a manager, an analyst, or part of a newly created or mature team, this pragmatic, how-to guide gives you the answers to defining and driving best practice in business analytics. <p>This groundbreaking resource provides comprehensive coverage across all aspects of business analytics, presenting proven management guidelines to drive sustainable differentiation. Through a rich set of case studies, author Evan Stubbs reviews solutions and examples for over twenty common problems spanning managing analytics assets and information, leveraging technology, nurturing skills, and defining processes. <p><i>Delivering Business Analytics</i> also outlines the Data Scientist's Code, fifteen principles that when followed ensure constant movement toward effective practice. Practical advice is offered for addressing various analytics issues; the advantages and disadvantages of each issue's solution; and how these solutions can optimally create organizational value. <p>Read <i>Delivering Business Analytics</i> and get the edge you need to make your job easier with proven solutions for: <ul> <li>Defining what constitutes best practices</li> <li>Eliminating bottlenecks in delivery</li> <li>Owning your intellectual property</li> <li>Effectively managing analytical data</li> <li>Coping with information overload</li> <li>Driving value through operational analytics</li> </ul> <p>Through a variety of practical examples and pragmatic advice, <i>Delivering Business Analytics</i> helps newly established Chief Data Scientists and grizzled analysts build the right management structures and guiding principles to support an enterprise-level execution—that delivers.

<p><b>PRAISE FOR DELIVERING BUSINESS ANALYTICS</b></p> <p>"A stellar collection of real-life experiences of a business analytics expert and a bible for every leader of a business analytics function."—<b>Kerem Tomak</b>, VP of Marketing Analytics, Macys.com</p> <p>"(This) book is densely packed with the Zen of business analytics from his wealth of experience and expertise … this is not ten steps to success for mindless management. It richly rewards re-reads and reflection."—<b>James Mansell</b>, Director of Innovation and Strategic Design, Ministry of Social Development New Zealand</p> <p>"In this book, Evan Stubbs addresses the many obstacles to delivering solid business results from analytics … an analytics group that cannot demonstrate return on investment will soon lose funding. This book shows how to pick projects with good revenue potential and how to measure the value those projects create. I would recommend this to anyone who manages an analytics group."—<b>Michael J.A. Berry</b>, Analytics Director, TripAdvisory for Business, co-author of <i>Mastering Data Mining</i> and <i>Data Mining Techniques</i></p> <p>"In this new book, Evan clearly outlines how an organization can get more value from business analytics. His descriptions of common problems and challenges, his identification of false solutions and his clarity in describing best practices make for a readable book that practitioners should be able to put together at once."—<b>James Taylor</b>, CEO, Decision Management Solutions, co-author of <i>Smart Enough Systems</i> and author of <i>Decision Management Systems</i></p> <p>“For organizations to capitalize on analytics they have to not only do analysis of data, but they have to convert the results of analytics into products and services that users can use. This is where Evan’s latest book helps. It covers the issues that bear directly on how analytics should be operationalized. This is essentially about embedding analytical solutions in the business of an organization. This process sounds simple in theory but is far from simple in practice. Evan covers the relevant issues such as people, infrastructure, data and processes. If there is a single statement that summarizes what Evan’s book is about it is that the creation of value is more important than insight. Evan’s book is about how to do this.”—<b>Warwick Graco</b>, Senior Director of Operational Analytics, Australian Taxation Office</p>

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