This document provides frameworks to help manage and train analytics analysts, including checklists for discovery, analytics processes, and delivering analytics as a product. It recommends starting requests with understanding the audience, context, and story. For the analytics process, it suggests clarifying the question, identifying data sources, determining how to present information, and ensuring the work can inform action. It also advises applying product development tactics like prototyping, testing, and iterating. A competency grid is presented as a way to map progress for new analysts.

1. How to Train Your
Dragon Analyst
Matt Whiteley
@thatmattw

2. YOU:
• Hire New Analysts
• Manage/Train Analysts
• Want a nice easy structure to your own work
I WILL SHARE:
1. Discovery Checklists – Tips for starting on a request
2. Simple Analytics Process – A checklist for New Analysts
3. Competency Grid – A Progress map for new starters
THEN: We share some ideas…
@thatmattw

3. The following will be a chat about…
...a set of simple frameworks for helping you
work with analytics requests, problems &
campaigns from clients, colleagues, or to plan
your own work to deliver tools, reports &
dashboards.
(Apply as required, use common sense, steal/edit/update… I hope it helps!)
@thatmattw

4. 1 – Discovery: Framing the Request
Part A: Helping them understand the situation & how to present their work
• Audience
• Who will be receiving this, what’s their level of technical understanding? Will
different people want different perspectives?
• Context
• E.g Is this a big project or a regular update? What’s the situation that’s lead to this
request? Are there any sensitive subjects?
• Format
• How will this be delivered? Do you need to simplify it for a presentation or
document? Can they access your BI platform?
• Story
• How are you going to structure the information to convey your message?
@thatmattw

5. Side Note: Telling the Story
Try searching: ‘minto storytelling’
• Situation
• Complexity
• Question
• Answer
@thatmattw

6. 1. Discovery: Analytics Process
Part B: Helping them structure their approach to solve the problem
• Question
• What is the reason for the project/campaign/request? Have you asked 5 ‘Whys’ ?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5_Whys
• Data
• What sources can they use? What are the parameters/mechanics of the problem?
(think engineering ‘free-body diagrams’)
• Information
• How will they present the data, what visualisations/tools can convey the right
message? (early sketching of data sources & visualisations will help here)
• Action
• What happens next? If the work can’t inform action, is it the right work?
@thatmattw

7. 2 - Delivery: Analytics as a Product
Apply some product development tactics to deliver impactful work
• Interview
• Even a quick chat to understand how your customer thinks & how they will process
the info you provide.
• Prototype
• Early sketches and examples to validate your direction before you build
• Build
• Test & Feedback
• Check-in with an appropriate frequency to keep on target
• Iterate
@thatmattw

8. Side Note: Interviews
The Google Design Sprint has some great product development processes we can
include in analytics work. Eg. where possible, sit with customers as they review the
work/prototypes:
What is this? What is it for? What did you think of that?
So what happened there?
Was that what you expected? Why or why not? So what goes through your mind
as you look at this?
Did you find what you were looking for? What would you do next? Why?
Is there anything else you would do at this point?
Is there any other way to do that? In what ways would you want this changed to
make it better for you? What additional info would have helped?
http://www.gv.com/sprint/
@thatmattw

9. Side Note: Testing & Feedback
20%
50% feedback
80%
http://blog.sandglaz.com/30-percent-feedback-rule/
@thatmattw

10. 3: Competency Grid
In their first steps, give them a clear checklist
@thatmattw

11. 3: Competency Grid
• Start when you write the Job Spec
• Or write as you do the jobs
• Show stretch goals (Path from Jnr -> Snr Analyst)
• Share with the team so others can help them
• It’s ok for it to change
@thatmattw

12. Bonus Ball:
Let them use LinkedIn to guide their
Personal Development
Get your analysts to show you who they want to
be when they grow up.
Help them reach their goals, keep your talent.
(If this causes some tension – it helps explain to *your* boss about how you
need to support the careers your analysts want to have.)
@thatmattw