Behind Every Good Decision : How Anyone Can Use Business Analytics to Turn Data Into Profitable Insight

So you’re not a numbers person? No worries! You say that you can’t understand how to read, let alone implement, these complex software programs that crunch all the data and spit out . . . more data? Not a problem either! There is a costly misconception in business today--that the only data that matters is BIG data, and that elaborate tools and data scientists are required to extract any practical information. But actually, nothing could be further from the truth.In Behind Every Good Decision, authors and analytics experts Piyanka Jain and Puneet Sharma demystify the process of business analytics and demonstrate how professionals at any level can take the information at their disposal and in only five simple steps--using only Excel as a tool!--make the decision necessary to increase revenue, decrease costs, improve product, or whatever else is being asked of them at that time. Readers will learn how to:• Clarify the business question• Lay out a hypothesis-driven plan• Pull relevant data• Convert it to insights• Make decisions that make an impactPacked with examples and exercises, this refreshingly accessible book explains the four fundamental analytic techniques that can help solve a surprising 80 percent of all business problems. It doesn’t take a numbers person to know that is a formula you need! There is a misconception in business that the only data that matters is BIG data, and that elaborate tools and data scientists are required to extract any practical information. However, nothing could be further from the truth. If you feel that you can't understand how to read, let alone implement, these complex software programs that crunch the data and spit out more data, that will no longer be a problem! Authors and analytics experts Piyanka Jain and Puneet Sharma demystify the process of business analytics and demonstrate how professionals at any level can take the information at their disposal and in only five simple steps—using only Excel as a tool—make the decision necessary to increase revenue, decrease costs, improve product, or whatever else is being asked of them at that time. In Behind Every Good Decision, you will learn how to: Clarify the business question Lay out a hypothesis-driven plan Pull relevant data Convert it to insights Make decisions that make an impact Packed with examples and exercises, this refreshingly accessible book explains the four fundamental analytic techniques that can help solve a surprising 80 percent of all business problems. It doesn't take a numbers person to know that is a formula you need! There is a costly misconception in business today--that the only data that matters is BIG data, and that complex tools and data scientists are required to extract any practical information. Nothing could be further from the truth. Demonstrates how professionals at any level can take the information at their disposal and leverage it to make better decisions. Demystifies the process of business analytics and helps anyone move from data to decisions in just five steps ... using only Excel as a tool. Learn how to: Clarify the business question - Lay out a hypothesis-driven plan - Pull relevant data - Convert it to insights - Make decisions that make an impact Packed with examples and exercises, this refreshingly accessible book explains the four fundamental analytic techniques that can help solve a surprising 80% of all business problems. Business analytics isn't rocket science--it's a simple problem-solving tool that can help companies increase revenue, decrease costs, improve products, and delight customers. And who doesn't want to do that? In Behind Every Good Decision, authors and analytics experts Piyanka Jain and Puneet Sharma demonstrate how business professionals at any level can take the information at their disposal and leverage it to make better decisions. Packed with examples and exercises, the book shows readers how they can clarify the business question; lay out a hypothesis-driven plan; pull relevant data; and convert it to insights. Business analytics needn't be left to the specialists. This book reveals how anyone can deploy it to help solve problems, increase revenue, decrease costs, improve products, and more There is a costly misconception in business today-that the only data that matters is BIG data, and that complex tools and data scientists are required to extract any practical information. Nothing could be further from the truth. In Behind Every Good Decision, authors and analytics experts Piyanka Jain and Puneet Sharma demonstrate how professionals at any level can take the information at their disposal and leverage it to make better decisions. The authors' streamlined frame work demystifies the process Piyanka Jain & Puneet Sharma ; Edited By Lakshmi Jayaraman. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.