Leading in Analytics: The Seven Critical Tasks for Executives to Master in the Age of Big Data - Hardcover

by Joseph A. Cazier (Author)

A step-by-step guide for business leaders who need to manage successful big data projects

Leading in Analytics: The Critical Tasks for Executives to Master in the Age of Big Data takes you through the entire process of guiding an analytics initiative from inception to execution. You'll learn which aspects of the project to pay attention to, the right questions to ask, and how to keep the project team focused on its mission to produce relevant and valuable project. As an executive, you can't control every aspect of the process. But if you focus on high-impact factors that you can control, you can ensure an effective outcome. This book describes those factors and offers practical insight on how to get them right.

Drawn from best-practice research in the field of analytics, the Manageable Tasks described in this book are specific to the goal of implementing big data tools at an enterprise level. A dream team of analytics and business experts have contributed their knowledge to show you how to choose the right business problem to address, put together the right team, gather the right data, select the right tools, and execute your strategic plan to produce an actionable result. Become an analytics-savvy executive with this valuable book.

• Ensure the success of analytics initiatives, maximize ROI, and draw value from big data
• Learn to define success and failure in analytics and big data projects
• Set your organization up for analytics success by identifying problems that have big data solutions
• Bring together the people, the tools, and the strategies that are right for the job

By learning to pay attention to critical tasks in every analytics project, non-technical executives and strategic planners can guide their organizations to measurable results.

Front Jacket

Over the past two decades, analytics has evolved from a niche technology to a critical business dimension. This presents a challenge and an opportunity for non-technical leaders. If we want to remain competitive in the digital age, we must learn to effectively lead analytics initiatives to success, even if we don't understand everything that's going on under the hood. Leading in Analytics offers a concrete strategy for doing just that, helping readers understand how to maximize their influence in complex data-driven projects.

From a business perspective, becoming analytics-savvy makes good sense. Today's leading companies in the area of analytics have documented millions and even billions in savings and increased market opportunities directly traceable to insights generated from data analytics. The goal of this book is to enable readers to extract value from analytics investment by setting initiatives up for success.

Even if we do everything right as leaders, some of our analytics projects will still fail--even the majority, if we believe the latest statistics. But we can dramatically improve our odds of success by following professional best practices and learning from the accumulated wisdom of big data experts. This book draws together contributions and knowledge from experts in data science, analytics leadership, business intelligence, and technology leadership. The result is a solid set of theories, strategies, and techniques that will boost the value of any analytics investment.

In Leading in Analytics, CEOs and other leaders will gain the knowledge and skills they need to take advantage of the potential of analytics by supporting the entire organization in maintaining an analytics orientation. Not everyone needs to be a coder, but data literacy is a must for today's business leaders. This book supports business leaders in engaging with analytics best practices, supporting technical and non-technical team members toward long-term analytics growth and success.

Back Jacket

Praise for LEADING IN ANALYTICS

"Advanced analytics helps turn data into intelligent insights for better decision-making. Reading the hype may convince you that you need it but does not help you to realize it. To move from concepts to real-world implementations, start by studying Leading in Analytics. Then build your team and have them study Leading in Analytics."
-- Karl Kempf, PhD, Senior Fellow and Director of Decision Engineering, Intel Corporation

"In an era where analytics is creating more value for companies than ever before, Cazier creates a blueprint for a successful analytics career. A must-read book for anybody working with analytics to drive company value."
-- Patrick Getzen, Retired Chief Data and Analytics Officer, BCBS of NC

"Leading in Analytics is a must-read for business executives who are ready to move towards successful analytics projects. This easy-to-follow guide is devoted to sharing practical information that will help you construct a roadmap to success for your analytics projects. These concepts are further illustrated through interesting real-life examples from a long list of executives with an impressive track record. Increase the likelihood of success for your next project by following these same methods as described in Leading in Analytics!"
-- Paige Valentine, Senior Director, SAS

"This knowledge is exactly what I have needed for a long time regarding running Liferithms. The information has already added priceless value to my approach to running my companies and showed me how to prioritize analytics. It is easy to get lost in the possibilities of what can be done with data, now I have a clearer picture of what should be done, and a head start on how to get it done."
-- Olu Ogunlela, Founder and CEO, Liferithms

"As an executive with just enough knowledge of analytics to be dangerous, I wish I had this book twenty years ago. Seeing, and acting on, the big picture as outlined in Leading in Analytics would have taken us to levels of success that we did not know were possible."
-- D Terry Rawls, Former University President, Entrepreneur

"I have been coding analytics for over a decade and have now reached a point in my life when I want to shift from an analytics coder to an analytics leader and I found this book a very practical guide for this purpose."
-- Olim Atabayev, Data Engineer, Allstate Insurance

"As a young analytics professional, this book was a very eye-opening experience for me. In the past, my understanding of analytics was focused on low-level concepts such as probability distribution, p-values, and Python. However, this book has provided me with a fresh and insightful perspective on analytics, focusing on people, leadership and impact."
-- Ting Jennings, Data Analyst, PwC

"Cazier takes the reader on a journey far beyond the theories of analytics with his step-by-step approach he breaks into tasks. He sets the stage with Task 0 where he explains the sense of urgency to do analytics right, failure rates across industries, and the primary causes of failure, all while citing some of the most distinguished people in the field. This book is a useful guide for me personally and will be for thousands of others for years to come."
-- Darren Long, USAF (Ret.) and Advisory Consultant at MSS BTA

Author Biography

JOSEPH A. CAZIER, PHD, CAP (Certified Analytics Professional) is the Associate Director of the Center for AI and Data Analytics (AIDA), a Clinical Full Professor at Arizona State University and Emeritus Full Professor from Appalachian State University. Cazier also served as the chief analytics officer for HiveTracks.com, chair of the international working group for bee data standardization and is an editor for the Data and Analytics for Good journal. Cazier also served as vice chair for the development of the book's companion executive education course, Leading in Analytics, offered by the Professional Development Academy, where participants can hear directly from many of the experts interviewed for this book.