Interested in ensuring that analytics continues to contribute value to the overall organization, the lead analyst suggests developing a long term plan to define how the enterprise will identify, store, manage, share, and use its data long-term. The analyst is proposing the development of a:
A large telecommunications company wants to increase their Average Revenue Per User per month by 5%, by end of year, to increase revenue in a highly competitive market. From a SMART target perspective, what is missing?
A SMART target is one that is specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound1. The target of increasing the Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) per month by 5%, by end of year, to increase revenue in a highly competitive market is missing the specificity criterion, as it does not mention which product group or line the target applies to. The target should be more specific and clear about the scope and context of the desired outcome, such as which segment, region, or service the target relates to23. Reference: 1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 192: SMART Goals: How to Make Your Goals Achievable, MindTools, 2021, 13: How to Set SMART Marketing Goals, CoSchedule, 2021, 2.
An analyst at a bank is trying to identify research questions for an analytical study on top customer issues across branches. During an interview with a branch manager, the analyst asks the manager what their top customer concerns are relating to this branch?
After the manager's reply, the analyst asks a follow up question on how their top customer concerns compare against the top customer concerns across all branches? Was the analyst's follow-up question valid?
The analyst's follow-up question is valid because it helps to refine the scope and context of the research questions for the analytical study. By comparing the top customer concerns across branches, the analyst can identify the common and unique issues that affect customer satisfaction and loyalty. This can also help to prioritize the most critical or urgent problems that need to be addressed by the bank12. Reference: 1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 212: Business Analysis for Practitioners: A Practice Guide, PMI, 2015, p. 43.
The team has completed their analysis on a vast amount of collected data and agree on their recommendations for action.
However, they are having difficulty in developing the appropriate messages to support their recommendations. The business analysis professional suggests which technique to assist the team?
Storyboarding is a technique that helps the team to develop the appropriate messages to support their recommendations by creating a visual sequence of the main points, evidence, and actions. Storyboarding helps the team to organize their thoughts, identify gaps, and communicate their findings in a clear and compelling way12 Reference: 1: Developing Key Messages for Effective Communication - MSKTC 2: 11 Ways Highly Successful Leaders Support Their Team - Redbooth
An analytics team has been asked to answer the following question: "Given that you're a customer, would you work at our company?" The team is concerned about answering this question because it is:
The question ''Given that you're a customer, would you work at our company?'' is unclear, because it is a hypothetical and subjective question that does not specify the purpose, scope, or context of the analysis. The question also does not define what constitutes a customer, or how the customer's experience or satisfaction relates to the employee's motivation or performance. The question needs to be refined and clarified to make it more focused, relevant, and feasible for the analytics team to answer. For example, the question could be rephrased as ''How does the customer satisfaction score affect the employee retention rate in our company?'' Reference:
* Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA, CBDA Competencies, Domain 1: Identify the Research Questions
* Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 10-11
* CERTIFICATION IN BUSINESS DATA ANALYTICS HANDBOOK - IIBA, page 8, CBDA Exam Sample Questions and Self-Assessment, Question 16
A data scientist is working with a team of upper level managers to develop a strategy for creating an enterprise analytics program. What critical success factor would help ensure the organization obtains the most value from its data?
A marketing department has established an analytics team. The analytics practice is stand-alone and analysts have limited insights into corporate strategy. Which is an expected result for analytics practices operating at the business unit level?
A software company launched a new product in late 2016. The product manager is reviewing a Box and Whisker plot used to compare year-over-year sales, from 2017 to 2018. What is the conclusion he can make from this chart?
A company wants to gauge the thoughts of their employees towards a new company product. On the 25th of March the interviewer makes a list of all employees who were at work on that day and then chooses a subset of those employees to interview. Which term describes the list of all employees present on March 25th?
The sampling frame is the term that describes the list of all employees present on March 25th, because it is a technique that defines the set of elements from which a sample is drawn. The sampling frame should ideally match the population of interest, which is the group of elements that the researcher wants to study or make inferences about. In this case, the population of interest is the employees of the company, and the sampling frame is the subset of employees who were at work on a specific day. The survey sample is the technique that selects a portion of the sampling frame to participate in the survey. The sample weights are the technique that assigns different values or importance to each element in the sample, based on their representation in the population. Reference:
* Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA, CBDA Competencies, Domain 2: Source Data
* Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 14
* CERTIFICATION IN BUSINESS DATA ANALYTICS HANDBOOK - IIBA, page 8, CBDA Exam Sample Questions and Self-Assessment, Question 14
An analyst is performing regression analysis and reviewing the results. They would like to rescale the variables in the model to more clearly reflect the relationship between the regression coefficients. Which technique could be used to rescale the variables?
The analytics team is struggling with which recommendation to make. Their challenge is that they have five good options and this indecision is stopping them from moving forward. To help the team finalize their recommendation, the BA professional on the team recommends they complete:
Acceptance and evaluation criteria are the techniques that the BA professional on the team should recommend they complete, because they are the standards or measures that are used to evaluate the suitability and value of each option. Acceptance and evaluation criteria can help the team compare the benefits, costs, risks, and impacts of each option, and determine which one best meets the needs and expectations of the stakeholders. Acceptance and evaluation criteria can also help the team communicate the rationale and evidence behind their recommendation, and ensure that the recommendation is aligned with the business goals and objectives. Reference:
* Business Analysis Certification in Data Analytics, CBDA | IIBA, CBDA Competencies, Domain 5: Use Results to Influence Business Decision Making
* Understanding the Guide to Business Data Analytics, page 9
* Acceptance and Evaluation Criteria | Business Analysis
A colleague proposes measuring job satisfaction by asking the question "What is your salary?". What is the concerning factor about this question?
Validity is the extent to which a measure or a question accurately captures the intended concept or construct1. The question ''What is your salary?'' is not a valid measure of job satisfaction, as it does not reflect the various aspects of job satisfaction, such as work environment, recognition, autonomy, growth, etc. Salary is only one possible factor that may influence job satisfaction, but it is not a direct or comprehensive indicator of it23. Therefore, the question is not valid for measuring job satisfaction. Reference: 1: Guide to Business Data Analytics, IIBA, 2020, p. 302: Job Satisfaction: Application, Assessment, Causes, and Consequences, Paul E. Spector, 1997, p. 23: Job Satisfaction Survey, 1.
A supermarket chain wants to improve supplier relations. One of the targets to track and help achieve this goal is to improve the average transaction time per order by 10%. From a SMART target perspective, what is missing?
The research study is complete, the data has been analyzed and the team has created the necessary high impact visuals. The business analysis professional urges the team to:
To support their recommendation, the analytics team has identified investment and resources required to implement. The team has also identified key activities and events that are required to transition the organization through various stages to the future state. This information is clearly articulated in the:
