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Doing Good with Data at the University of Chicago
About a month ago, I got the chance to interview Lauren Haynes, Associate Director at the Center for Data Science and Public Policy at the University of Chicago and a fellow presenter at next week’s Predictive Analytics World conference in Chicago. Lauren and I talked about how data…
Worthless Words about Priceless Memories
I’m going to start off this blog with a few (seemingly) random facts. First, it’s springtime. Second, my friends and I are in our late twenties. Finally, I participate in social media. These facts are relatively meaningless on their own, but, when taken in combination, they can mean only one thing…
Building a Data-driven Organization Starts with Culture
When I was in secondary school learning how to write essays, my teachers beat me over the head with the following adage about how to structure a paper: “tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them what you told them.” Well, I’m about to tell you what I’m going to tell…
Using Data to Build Trust at Airbnb
In case you haven’t been stalking my LinkedIn page—and you really should; it’s a thrilling read— I’d like to take this opportunity to inform you that I am, in fact, a Los Angeles-based, remote employee of APQC. This means that, periodically, I travel to Houston for a week or so at a time to…
Analytics: Why Are Organizations Lukewarm on Such a Hot Topic?
APQC and other thought leaders have long touted the potential benefits of using analytics to become more data driven. And, for the most part, organizations seem to agree. In fact, more than three-quarters of respondents to a recent APQC poll report that their organization has invested in an…
My Experience at Predictive Analytics World and Why Analytics Is So Cool
As those of you who follow me on Twitter—@MSIMS_APQC—might know, I recently attended the Predictive Analytics World for Business conference in New York. APQC sponsored the event, so technically I was there on “official business,” but, in reality, I was there to geek out with everybody else…
Which Data Analytics Solutions Are You Using?
It’s hard to believe it’s only been ten months since my first data and analytics pilgrimage, but it’s true. I’ve learned a great deal about data and analytics since that time, both through my research and my personal interactions with people in the field. From my experience (and APQC research…
#Adulting with Analytics: Comparing Analytics Maturity across Business Functions
What a strange phenomenon this concept of “adulting” is. Have you heard about this? Basically, avid social media users (read: millennials) are posting updates about or photos of themselves’ partaking in activities that are characteristic of adulthood and then tagging those posts with the term “…
Instagram: The World’s Most Popular Benchmarking Tool
I have some breaking news for you. In case you were not aware, the photo sharing app Instagram is really, really popular. In fact, as of this summer, half a billion people worldwide use Instagram. As a lifelong, committed contrarian, I proudly confess (is that an oxymoron?) that I am not one of…
Whether It's Diet or Data, Change is Change
I come from an Italian family. My mom, the undisputed matriarch of the family, was born in Italy and takes great pride in sharing her cultural heritage with my family, often in the form of delicious Italian food. Growing up, this made dinnertime a highlight of the day, as it was a golden…