Data Analytics the Right Way

Expert guide to productively and profitably put your organization’s data to use

Providing both underlying theory and practical solutions, Analytics the Right Way is a thorough exploration of how to create tangible business value with data. Written by Tim Wilson, seasoned industry professional with more than 20 years of proven experience, and Dr. Joe Sutherland, renowned professor and researcher who served in The White House during the Obama administration, this book shows readers how to find the answers to common data and analytics frustrations and anxieties, including lack of actionable insights, ineffective recommendations, difficulties scaling, and unclear ROI.

Written in accessible language with helpful illustrations to elucidate key concepts included throughout, this book explores topics including:

• Economic, institutional, and psychological factors that inadvertently reinforce misconceptions of data and analytics and the misguided allocation of resources and efforts
• The potential outcomes framework, a mental model through which to view decision making and the possible versions of the world that may emerge as a result of the decision you make
• Three fundamentally different ways that data can be used within an organization to drive value: measuring performance, validating hypotheses, and enabling operational processes
• Ways that digitally enabled, profitable, AI-first enterprises are distinguished by the leader’s ability to elegantly weave the three uses of data together

Analytics the Right Way is an essential resource for business leaders, entrepreneurs, data and analytics professionals, executives, and all professionals seeking to cut through the noise and start putting data to use in a way that is productive, profitable, and even fun.

TIM WILSON has been an analytics practitioner since 2001, working in roles from business intelligence at high-tech B2B companies, to analytics leadership at marketing agencies, to consulting with Fortune Global 500 companies to improve their analytics investments.

DR. JOE SUTHERLAND has worked as an executive, public servant, and educator for the Dow Jones 30, The White House, and our nation’s top universities. His firm, J.L. Sutherland & Associates, has attracted clients such as Box, Cisco, Canva, The Conference Board, and Fulcrum Equity Partners. He founded the Center for AI Learning at Emory University, which focuses on AI literacy and integration for the general public.