Some very good points, especially number 10...
It may seem that many of these are common sense applications to BA, however in my experience anyway, it seems that management doesn't think this way.
I have seen some very intelligent peopole who are very capable managers operate with the mindset regarding item 2 on the list- in many cases even though it may not be the best solution. I've thought about this exact issue and have tried to understand the thought process which allows me to provide persuasive, logical and tangible reasons as to modify reporting, and what I think may be the greatest driver of managers not wanting to explore other reports or look at different metrics is because they are used to looking at certain information and they simply do not have time to familiarize themselves with new reporting.
When it comes to analytics, it is my opinion that number one is likely one of the most important issues - which ties into number 9 - and I couldn't have stated it better. I think one of the most important aspects of Business Analysis is to determine what information is important, and I appreciate the way the author explains it in the article. Then, once the questions about what it is the organization is trying to get from the uncountable Terrabytes of data that is available and having it organized and presented in an understandable way, number 10 on the list is also key as understanding why the results are what they are and sometimes that means you have to turn off the cruise control and find out what is driving certain trends, what may have caused the deviation of the trend or anything that is out of the ordinary.
These are just the top 10, I'd be interested in seeing a follow-up post to find out what the Author thinks is the next 10. I noticed that Excel is mentioned, and I agree. But I also use Access almost as much because Access can do much more than Excel - and when used together properly, I have seen exceptional analytical outcomes.
Thank you Ms. Shacklett for the great information.
