Clarifying Analytics Requests = 5 x Why + So What

Most analysts want to avoid a situation where they spend a lot of time working on ad-hoc, vague and misguided analytics/data requests instead of focusing on hypothesis testing. But hey, you will not be able to avoid those requests entirely, so what can you do in order to clarify the requests you can’t hold at bay? I use two simple methods to clarify analytics requests: 5 x why? 5 Whys is an iterative interrogative technique used to explore the cause-and-effect relationships underlying a particular problem and I’ve found that it also works really well to clarify analytics requests....

January 23, 2018 · 3 min · Robert Sahlin