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The Analytics Power Hour

Business & Economics Podcasts

Attend any conference for any topic and you will hear people saying after that the best and most informative discussions happened in the bar after the show. Read any business magazine and you will find an article saying something along the lines of "Business Analytics is the hottest job category out there, and there is a significant lack of people, process and best practice." In this case the conference was eMetrics, the bar was….multiple, and the attendees were Michael Helbling, Tim Wilson and Jim Cain (Co-Host Emeritus). After a few pints and a few hours of discussion about the cutting edge of digital analytics, they realized they might have something to contribute back to the community. This podcast is one of those contributions. Each episode is a closed topic and an open forum - the goal is for listeners to enjoy listening to Michael, Tim, and Moe share their thoughts and experiences and hopefully take away something to try at work the next day. We hope you enjoy listening to the Digital Analytics Power Hour.

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Location:

United States

Description:

Attend any conference for any topic and you will hear people saying after that the best and most informative discussions happened in the bar after the show. Read any business magazine and you will find an article saying something along the lines of "Business Analytics is the hottest job category out there, and there is a significant lack of people, process and best practice." In this case the conference was eMetrics, the bar was….multiple, and the attendees were Michael Helbling, Tim Wilson and Jim Cain (Co-Host Emeritus). After a few pints and a few hours of discussion about the cutting edge of digital analytics, they realized they might have something to contribute back to the community. This podcast is one of those contributions. Each episode is a closed topic and an open forum - the goal is for listeners to enjoy listening to Michael, Tim, and Moe share their thoughts and experiences and hopefully take away something to try at work the next day. We hope you enjoy listening to the Digital Analytics Power Hour.

Language:

English

Contact:

6143561717

Episodes

#233: Analytics Mentors (Having One, Being One)

11/28/2023
To mentor, or not to mentor, that is the question: whether 'tis more productive to hole up in a cubicle and toil away without counsel, or to hold close one's experience to the benefit of no one else. Perchance, the author of this show summary should have checked with one of his mentors before attempting a Shakespearian angle. But, he didn't, and the show title is pretty self-explanatory, so we'll just roll with it. On this episode, Michael, Val, and Tim chatted about mentorship: its many flavors, its many uses, and what has and has not worked for them both when being mentored as well as when being mentors. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:51:31

#232: The Reality of Uncertainty Meets the Imperative of Actionability with Michael Kaminsky

11/14/2023
It's been said that, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes, so why is it so hard to communicate uncertainty to stakeholders when delivering an analysis? Many stakeholders think an analysis is intended to deliver an absolute truth; that if they have just enough data, a smart analyst, and some fancy techniques, that the decision they should make will emerge! In this episode, Tim, Moe, and Val sat down with Michael Kaminsky, co-founder of Recast, to discuss strategies such as scenario planning and triangulation to help navigate these tricky conversations. Get comfortable with communicating the strengths and drawbacks of your different methodological approaches to empower decision making from your stakeholders! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:57:48

#231: Estimating the Effort for Analytics Projects

10/31/2023
Have you ever noticed that recipes that include estimates of how long it will take to prepare the dish seem to dramatically underestimate reality? We have! And that’s for something that is extremely knowable and formulaic — measure, mix, and cook a fixed set of ingredients! When it comes to analytics projects, when you don't know the state of the data, what the data will reveal, and how the scope may shift along the way, answering the question, "How long will this take?" can be downright terrifying. Happy Halloween! Whether you are an in-house analyst or working in an agency setting, though, it's a common and reasonable question to be asked. In this episode Michael, Moe, and Val dive into the topic, including sharing some stories of battle scars and lessons learned along the way. As a bonus, Sensei Michael explains how he uses Aikido on his clients to avoid scope creep! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:01:02:15

#230: First, We Must Discover. Then, We Can Explore. With Viyaleta Apgar

10/17/2023
Seemingly straightforward data sets are seldom as simple as they initially appear. And, many an analysis has been tripped up by erroneous assumptions about either the data itself or about the business context in which that data exists. On this episode, Michael, Val, and Tim sat down with Viyaleta Apgar, Senior Manager of Analytics Solutions at Indeed.com, to discuss some antidotes to this very problem! Her structured approach to data discovery asks the analyst to outline what they know and don’t know, as well as how any biases or assumptions might impact their results before they dive into Exploratory Data Analysis (EDA). To Viyaleta, this isn’t just theory! She also shared stories of how she’s put this into practice with her business partners (NOT her stakeholders!) at Indeed.com. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:55:10

#229: Data and the ABCs (SERIES A, B, and C, That Is!) with Samantha Wong

10/3/2023
Most of the time, we think of analytics as taking historical data for a business, munging it in various ways, and then using the results of that munging to make decisions. But, what if the business has no (or very little) historical data… because it's a startup? That's the situation venture capitalists — especially those focused on early stage startups — face constantly. We were curious as to how and where data and analytics play a role in such a world, and Sam Wong, a partner at Blackbird Ventures, joined Michael, Val, and Tim to explore the subject. Hypotheses and KPIs came up a lot, so our hypothesis that there was a relevant tie-in to the traditional focus of this show was validated, and, as a result, the valuation of the podcast itself tripled and we are accepting term sheets. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:52:32

#228: What AI Can't Do with Dr. Brandeis Marshall

9/19/2023
It's a lot of work to produce each episode of this show, so we were pretty sure that, by this time, we would have just turned the whole kit and kaboodle over to AI. Alas! It seems like the critical thinking and curiosity and mixing of different personalities in a discussion are safely human tasks… for now. Dr. Brandeis Marshall joined Michael, Julie, and Moe for a discussion about AI that, not surprisingly, got a little bleak at times, but it also had a fair amount of hope and handy perspectives through which to think about this space. We recommend listening to it rather than running the transcript through an LLM for a summary! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:52:02

#227: Demystifying Complex Data Science Concepts for Non-Technical Audiences with Dr. Nicholas Cifuentes-Goodbody

9/5/2023
One of the biggest challenges for the analyst or data scientist is figuring out just how wide and just how deep to go with stakeholders when it comes to key (but, often, complicated) concepts that underpin the work that's being delivered to them. Tell them too little, and they may overinterpret or misinterpret what's been presented. Tell them too much, and they may tune out or fall asleep… and, as a result, overinterpret or misinterpret what's been presented. On this episode, Dr. Nicholas Cifuentes-Goodbody from WorldQuant University joined Julie, Val, and Tim to discuss how to effectively thread that particular needle. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:01:01:09

#226: Training Analysts to be Curious and Use Business Context with MaryBeth Maskovas

8/22/2023
We were curious about… curiosity. We know it's a critical trait for analysts, but is it an innate characteristic, a teachable skill, or some combination of both? We were curious. How can the breadth and depth of a candidate's curiosity be assessed as part of the interview process? We were curious. Who could we kick these questions (and others) around with? We were NOT curious about that! MaryBeth Maskovas, founder and Principal Consultant at Insight Lime Analytics, joined Michael, Julie, and Tim to explore the topic. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:58:03

#225: From Stakeholder Buy-In to Stakeholder Knowledge of What That Means

8/8/2023
This topic was such a big deal that we managed to have no guests, and yet we had five people on the mic! Why? Because this episode doubles as a marker of a shift in the show itself. Beyond that, though, we had a lively discussion about how every business stakeholder professes to being committed to being data driven. That should make every stakeholder super easy to work with, right? And, yet, analysts often find themselves struggling to get on the same page with their counterparts due to the realities of the data: what it can and can't do and how it is most effectively worked with. Not a small topic! There were even pop quizzes (feel free to let us know how you'd score the answers)! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:53:36

#224: The Chronic Undervaluing of Analyst Communication Skills

7/25/2023
On the one hand, analysts generally know and accept that part of their responsibility is to not only conduct analyses, but to effectively communicate the results of those analyses to their stakeholders. On the other hand, "communication" can feel like a pretty squishy and nebulous skill. On this episode, Michael, Moe, and Tim tackled that nebulosity (side note: using obscure words is generally not an effective communication tactic). For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:57:35

#223: Explainability in AI with Dr. Janet Bastiman

7/11/2023
To trust something, you need to understand it. And, to understand something, someone often has to explain it. When it comes to AI, explainability can be a real challenge (definitionally, a "black box" is unexplainable)! With AI getting new levels of press and prominence thanks to the explosion of generative AI platforms, the need for explainability continues to grow. But, it's just as important in more conventional situations. Dr. Janet Bastiman, the Chief Data Scientist at Napier, joined Moe and Tim to, well, explain the topic! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:57:33

#222: A is for… Analytics. Agency. Acquisitions! with Bob Morris

6/27/2023
There comes a time in every analyst's career where they consider starting up their own consultancy. Or, if not that, then at least joining an agency or a consultancy. The nature of most businesses is to grow, and with growth comes the potential for an "exit." This episode dives into that world in an attempt to demystify some of the ins and outs of the acquisition of analytics consultancies, from the owners' perspectives, employees' perspectives, and acquiring companies' perspectives. Since these are all perspectives that none of your dear co-hosts really have, Bob Morris, the co-founder and managing partner for Bravery Group, joined us for a discussion of EBITDA, TTM, CIMs, and even aspects of the space that are not captured by acronyms! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:01:08:37

#221: Causal Inference Revisited (...DAGnabbit!) with DJ Rich

6/13/2023
What causes us to keep returning to the topic of causal inference on this show? DAG if we know! Whether or not you're familiar with directed acyclic graphs (or… DAGs) in the context of causal inference, this episode is likely for you! DJ Rich, a data scientist at Lyft, joined us to discuss causality — why it matters, why it's tricky, and what happens when you tackle causally modelling the complexity of a large-scale, two-sided market! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:56:18

#220: Product Management for Data Products and Data Platforms with Austin Byrne

5/30/2023
Data gets accessed and used in an organization through a variety of different tools (be they built, bought, or both). That work can be quick and smooth, or it can be tedious and time-consuming. What can make the difference, in modernspeak, is the specifics of the "data products" and "data platforms" being used for those tasks. Those specifics, in turn, often fall on the shoulders of (data) product managers! In this episode, Austin Byrne, Group Product Lead for Data at Canva, joined us for a discussion about the similarities and differences between typical product management and data product management! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:01:02:20

#219: To Generalize or to Specialize? That is the Question!

5/16/2023
There are only so many hours in a day and only so many days in a year. Logically, then, the best way to grow a career as a data worker is to spend as many hours as possible doing focused data work, right? Well… probably not. In this episode, we dove into generalization versus specialization — what does that even mean, and how should we think about balancing between the two, and how can interests and activities outside of the data work itself actually make us better analysts? Bonus activity: listen for the hosts' overt trolling of Tim to see if they can get him to come off mute in his role as associate producer for the episode. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:58:41

#218: Delivering Value by Listening for Problems with Matty Wishnow

5/2/2023
Do you ever feel like the experiments and analyses you're working on feel a little bit like a trip on a hamster wheel — properly grounded in hypotheses, perhaps, but not necessarily moving the business forward like you'd hoped? On this episode, Matty Wishnow, the author of Listening for Growth: What Startups Need the Most but Hear the Least, joined Moe, Tim, and Val for a discussion about why that may be, and how reframing the work to focus first and foremost on identifying problems (and unmet opportunities) can be useful! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:53:31

#217: Rethinking Privacy with Jodi Daniels

4/18/2023
Are you already inwardly groaning a little bit because our latest episode is all about privacy? Yeah. We know. We've been tracking your emotions, along with your first name, your last name, your birthdate, your government ID number, and your household income for the past ten years. Actually, we just bought that last one (but good for you on the career growth front!). Okay. You know we're just joshing you (which makes sense, since producer Josh Crowhurst stepped in as a guest co-host on this episode), and you know that because you trust us! And THAT'S quite the rambling setup for our discussion with Jodi Daniels, the founder and CEO of Red Clover Advisors and co-author of Data Reimagined: Building Trust One Byte at a Time. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:52:35

#216: Operationalizing a Culture of Experimentation with Lukas Vermeer

4/4/2023
How does one build a strong culture of experimentation at an organization (and what does that even mean)? One way is to spend a few years working at a company that already has such a culture… and then jump ship to another organization that is well on its way! That's (sort of) what our guest, Lukas Vermeer, did when he left booking.com to go to Vista. With Val Kroll guest-co-hosting, we dug into the challenges — organizational, educational, and mindset-al (?) — when it comes to having an organization successfully and appropriately integrate experimentation into their operational ways. For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:59:57

#215: (A Very) Real Talk about Simulation with Frances Sneddon

3/21/2023
When it comes to simulation, we're all really asking the same question: are we living in one? Alas! We did not tackle that on this episode. Instead, with Julie Hoyer as a guest co-host while Moe is on leave, we were joined by Frances Sneddon, the CTO of Simul8, to dig into some of the nuts and bolts of simulation as a tool for improving processes. It turns out that effectively putting simulations to use means focusing on some of the same foundational aspects of effectively using analytics, data science, or experimentation: clearly defining the problem, tapping into the domain experts to actually understand the process or scenario of focus, and applying some level of "art" to complement the science of the work! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:01:00:36

#214: Impostor Syndrome. Wait. Are We Even Qualified to Discuss That? with Julie Hoyer and Val Kroll

3/7/2023
Do you listen to this podcast because you're pretty sure that you're a professional fraud, and you're hoping-hoping-hoping that you will absorb enough knowledge to stay ahead of being exposed as such? Well, stop that negative self-talk! Impostor syndrome is a very real thing, and we've devoted a whole show to digging into it! Julie Hoyer and Val Kroll joined Moe on this International Women's Day episode to discuss the topic. It turns out that there has been a lot of research in the area, there ARE techniques for battling it, and it IS useful to hear how common it is! For complete show notes, including links to items mentioned in this episode and a transcript of the show, visit the show page.

Duration:00:51:33

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