Analytics at Work () von Thomas H. Davenport

Most companies have massive amounts of data at their disposal, yet fail to utilize it in any meaningful way. But a powerful new business tool - analytics - is enabling many firms to aggressively leverage their data in key business decisions and processes, with impressive results.

In their previous bookCompeting on Analytics, Thomas Davenport and Jeanne Harris showed how pioneering firms were building their entire strategies around their analytical capabilities. Rather than "going with the gut" when pricing products, maintaining inventory, or hiring talent, managers in these firms use data, analysis, and systematic reasoning to make decisions that improve efficiency, risk-management, and profits.

Now, inAnalytics at Work, Davenport, Harris, and coauthor Robert Morison reveal how any manager can effectively deploy analytics in day-to-day operations—one business decision at a time. They show how many types of analytical tools, from statistical analysis to qualitative measures like systematic behavior coding, can improve decisions about everything from what new product offering might interest customers to whether marketing dollars are being most effectively deployed.

Based on all-new research and illustrated with examples from companies including Humana, Best Buy, Progressive Insurance, and Hotels.com, this implementation-focused guide outlines the five-step DELTA model for deploying and succeeding with analytical initiatives. You'll learn how to:

· Usedata more effectively and glean valuable analytical insights
· Manage and coordinate data, people, and technology at anenterprise level
· Understand and support what analyticalleaders do
· Evaluate and choose realistictargets for analytical activity
· Recruit, hire, and manageanalysts

Combining the science of quantitative analysis with the art of sound reasoningAnalytics at Work provides a road map and tools for unleashing the potential buried in your company's data.

Table of Contents

Preface and Acknowledgements
Chapter 1 What It Means to Put Analytics to Work
Part 1 The Analytical DELTA
Chapter 2 Data
Chapter 3 Enterprise
Chapter 4 Leadership
Chapter 5 Targets
Chapter 6 Analysts
Part 2 Staying Analytical
Chapter 7 Embedding Analytics in Business Processes
Chapter 8 Build an Analytical Culture
Chapter 9 Review Comprehensively
Chapter 10 The Analytical Journey: Meeting Challenges Along the Way
Chapter 11 Toward More Analytical Decisions and Better Results
Appendix The DELTA Journey