42 CREATIVE ANALOGIESTO P R OV I D E YO U P E R S P E CT I V E O N A N A LY T I C S

It all started with the Swedish Chef

Both the Chef and Analysts are quite fond of formulas. Similarly, analysts are

often challenged by the bombastic results of their data; while the Swedish

Chef is often challenged by his ingredients turning against him.

Pinky & the Brain taught Data Management

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The Brain: “Pinky, are you pondering what I am pondering?”

Every week the question was the same, and each week the answer was a very clever—No. Sadly this holds to our friends in Data Management as

well. We are not pondering what you are pondering! And this is a problem…

LEGOS ARE ONE OF THE BEST EDUCATIONAL TOYSTHE FIVE SKILLS TAUGHT BY LEGOS:

1. Analysis: We must learn to break things down.

2. Synthesis: We must be able to put it all back together.

3. Segmentation: While iterating between tearing things apart and putting them back together, patterns and organization start to become very important.

4. Statistics: As your designs become more sophisticated, the start of each ‘design’ session began with profiling and estimating the probability you would have to find all of the necessary pieces.

5. ROI: Lego sets are a pricey investment. You need to know when two smaller sets are a better investment than a large one.

LESSONS ON STRATEGY & ANALYTICS FROM NEVERLAND

WHY MOUSETRAP SUCKED & SO DOES YOUR DATA

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1. Always have a North Star: There needs to be direction when building a vision for your company

2. Ask How?: Disney’s portrayal of Indians was hard to deal with in the 70’s, but asking HOW? is sheer analytics gold!

3. Instrumentation & Alerts: Life & business are filled with numerous crocodiles - dangerous situations that occasionally sneak up & bite you. Stay alert!

4. Tell a Compelling Story: Run of the mill analysis & strategy are quickly forgotten & far too often just repeated again. If you frame them as a compelling story, now thats real Pixie Dust!

5. Reframing: a VERY powerful strategy. Since when is it okay for a mystical character to sneak into a young girl’s room at night to abduct her?

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1. Good models simplify things & games should do the same.

2. Good models work faster than the things they are modeling.

3. Good models appear to be clean & have continuity.

4. Great games (and models) have clear & simply rules so you can focus on the strategy.

When Analogies Go Wrong - Robin Hood Style

When it comes to analogies, some fail to grasp the initial point of comparison.

Anytime someone wants to take from the rich, it becomes a Robin Hood analogy.

The problem is, history is wrong. He became a hero for the working class (not

the poor).

5 D’s for D-Mystifying Data Science, Muppet Style!

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1. Definition: If you can’t define it, don’t trust it.

2. Denominator: Always question anything that is left out.

3. Distribution: T-tables, confidence intervals, and standard deviations are typically based on ‘Normal’ distributions. When testing human behavior, these metrics are rarely ‘Normal’.

4. Delivery: Data is great, but delivering actionable analysis requires solid infrastructure, execution, strategy, and relevance.

6. Duplicate: if you can’t duplicate it, it wasn’t real. Read More Here!

Sir Belvedere

Black Knight

King Arthur

A N O B L E S WO R D S M A N I N D E E D S E E K I N G A T E A M TO H E L P H I M F I N D T H E H O LY G R A I L . H E AT T R ACT S TA L E N T A N D H E I S D E D I CAT E D. B U T A L A S , H E H A S N O H O R S E , S O M E T H I N G H E S E E M S B L I S S F U L LY U N AWA R E O F. H I S T I T L E FA I L S TO I M P R E S S A N D H I S Q U E ST G A I N S L I T T L E T R ACT I O N .

T H E N O B L E A DV I S O R & T H E A N A LY ST. H E H A S A N A M A Z I N G A R R AY O F ‘ N E W L E A R N I N G ’, H E A S K S G R E AT Q U E ST I O N S , H E H A S B I G I D E A S , H E ’ S A M A ST E R O F G R E AT D E S I G N . . B U T H I S E X E C U T I O N I S T E R R I B L E .

Big Data the Holy Grail

*CLICK ON A NAME TO READ MORE ABOUT THEIR TALE

L I K E A N A LY ST S , T H E B L AC K K N I G H T I S H E L L B E N T O N D E F E N D I N G H I S P R OJ E CT, P R O G R A M , O R P R O D U CT. U N F O RT U N AT E LY, H I S ST U B B O R N N E S S L E A D S TO M I S S E D O P P O RT U N I TY.

Big Data the Holy Grail Continued…

SIR ROBIN

Like Sir Robin, many analysts are

accompanied by their band os

supporters who boldly sing their

praises. Analysts, like knights, must

have courage.

SIR GALAHAD SIR LANCELOT THE ENCHANTER

Many analysts, like Sir Galahad, put

forth great effort and energy to overcome

a problem or find some solution only to ultimately come

up short.

Like Sir Lancelot, many analysts have

been equally as reckless and ready to jump into chaotic and costly situations; and like Sir Lancelot,

they are left questioning their

initial assumptions which put them in

this situation to begin with.

The Enchanter is the perfect consultant. He gets thing done without resources

and he has new and useful information. In the Big Data world, consultants like the Enchanter are the only ones willing to tell the truth. They have very little to

lose.

Fraggle Rock is like many Tech Companies

Whether it is the Doozers or the Red Fraggle, each character relates to a

different department of a tech company. From Product Marketing, to Engineers, they all contain similar qualities with the Executive Team sitting on top, or in this case with Marjorie, the all knowing trash

heap.

Tom Hanks big.. data

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With big, Tom Hanks was at his peak. It was popular and successful. After big, a transformation was made into films like Sleepless in Seattle and Forrest Gump. Like Big Data, big is routinely talked about and is

where a lot of money is being spent. It makes the CEO feel good. Or at least it did…

Big Data, like Tom Hanks needs to undergo a transformation.

THREE LESSONS FROM AVATAR: THE LAST AIRBENDER1. Specialization: Like Earth, Air, Fire, and

Water, the specialization of being able to bend your element is imperative; especially when only one Airbender remains. Analysts, like benders, are specialists. Analysts must focus on very different topics and specialize their tool set and education accordingly.

2. Integration: The world of Avatar is divided. Siloes benefit no one but the competition. When your analytic teams are decentralized, they are left isolated and vulnerable as well.

3. Training: Practice and mentoring matter greatly for your success. Nearly every episode of Avatar includes some type of training. Analytic teams should show equal dedication to training. They should train often and across many disciplines.

TRUMP: THE ART OF BENCHMARKING

ANALYTIC WISDOM FROM MASTER OOGWAY

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Yes, even Donald Trump can be used as an analogy.

Benchmarks are a relative point of comparison to help you understand the claim or statistic you are trying to validate. Any one could say Trump is successful, but doesn’t that mean you have to define success first?

“I will be the greatest jobs president God has ever created”

How does one even begin to validate such a claim?

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Master Oogway is said to be the creator of Kung Fu. We are able to use his scenes to talk about t echn iques beh ind ana l yz i ng customer behavior. He deals with uncertainty and change, control and perceptions, and much more. Oogway reminds us that human behav ior changes of ten. The changes and lifts that we measure may disappear right before our eyes and only because their time has passed.

Customer Feedback… a Love Song Perspective

Whether your business is about products or services, relationships or experiences. Whether a

start up or a long train runnin’. You have likely come to value feedback. Because in the words of

the Doobie Brothers:

“Without Feedback, Where Would You Be Now?”

Ok, well not exactly… But now you are starting to get the idea of this article…

Actionable Intelligence from the Blacklist

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The Blacklist serves as a great tool for analogies through its active use of crime and intelligence. Blacklist teaches us 5 key points in the world of analytics:

1. Know Your Network of Customers 2. Have a Sense of Urgency 3. Build Trust 4. Recruit a Great Team 5. Don’t Be Afraid to Outsource

BREAKING BAD — EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

As the Heisenberg Effect and the Hawthorne Effect state, behavior transforms merely through observation. For example, studies tell us that people who know they are being watched will change their behavior in various ways. This is just one of many issues when dealing with behavioral analysis…

THE ANALYST DIRECTORS - A LESSON IN PERSPECTIVE

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Yes, we did write a song parody and yes, it is about analytics and perspective. I’d recite some lyrics for you here, but then you be less incentivized to go and read it yourself..

Okay fine, here’s one verse:

“Build me a deck, you’re the analyst Make sure that your numbers are tight Because we are all too jaded for errors Even if the recommendation is right”

…

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Directors use angles, technique, and perspective to get the perfect shot. While Directors use this to tell a story, analysts use them to find one. Whether it is the one point perspective, extreme close ups, or an over the shoulder shot, analysts can learn a thing or two from each and every perspective.

Blindspot: The artistry of pattern recognition

Analytic Lesson in Experimental Design: Inspired by popular Hip Hop songs

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Yes, even MC Hammer, Snoop Dogg, and many more can teach us a thing or two about analytics. Analytics and experimental design are disciplines, just like the art of Hip Hop. Don’t underestimate the difficulty of contracting good experimental design, or in this case, a good hip hop song.

The NBC show, Blindspot, is based on a mysterious woman who’s body is covered in tattoos. Each week they work to uncover the

history and patterns of the ink on her body. Similar to analytics, pattern recognition is a skill essential

in data discovery.

THE FLASH: TEAMWORK & SPEED

THE ARROW: HISTORY & TRUST

LEGENDS OF TOMORROW: PROBABILITY & CONSEQUENCE

The CW Series, Flash, can teach us a lesson in

analytics.Teamwork and speed are key components to The Flash’s triumph. As for analytics, both of these components are necessary in the success of any team.

The CW Series, The Arrow was the first of many in their line of

Superhero shows. It was also the first to embrace a team of heroes

who find themselves working each week to analyze new challenges and situations. The Arrow uses reliance of history to inform future decisions and trust to drive the force behind

his squad. Both important concepts in actionable and successful

analysis.

Superhero Lessons in AnalyticsEpisodes I - III

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The third CW hero series is Legends of Tomorrow, which

unfortunately was struggled a bit more than the prior two. As a consequence, there is a high

probability that the show will need a major reboot before season 2.

And these two concepts can teach us a lesson in analytics

too..

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HAWAII FIVE-O, ANALYST PORN?

THE WIZARD OF OZ - PERSPECTIVE VS REALITY

STARTING A CAREER IN ANALYTICS?

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If you are familiar with Hawaii Five-O you are familiar with their extravagant headquarters. Their HQ is a place of beautiful displays, visualizations, algorithms, etc. They have a wealth of systems and clean data. Even games and virtual reality frequently emerge as themes. If this is analyst porn, I don’t know what is.

The Wizard of Oz is a tale filled with metaphors and symbolism. There is a different perception behind each and every character. Some speculate that the tale is one big metaphor for the American Political landscape. As analysts we cannot ignore the man behind the curtain. It makes us question how we could be misinterpreting reality…

..Jon Snow has a thing or two to teach you. You may not be a bastard, but analysts are not created the same way others are. Similar to Jon, many will find that your school background was not a great place to learn analytics and even more will find that you are going to have to make a lot of BIG decisions.

March Madness & BI

The 7th Inning Stretch

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March Madness, a championship that could be labeled as one of the most exciting match ups ever. So, while we’re at it, lets related this to an

exciting analytic match up between two powerful BI tools, Tableau and Qlikview. Which is better?

Who will win the championship?

Baseball can be related to analytics in more ways than one. The history, the statistics, the focus, the visualization, the KPI’s; it’s almost harder to find an

aspect of baseball that can’t be related to analytics.

ANALYTIC INSIGHT FROM ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER

ALTON BROWN, CULINARY ANALYST

THE HOLY TRINITY OF BUSINESS TV

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If you are not aware already, Schwarzenegger is a very quotable man. This may shock you, but we found a way to relate his quotes to analytics!

• “It’s not a toomah!” - Kindergarten Cop (relatable to premature diagnosis.. a regular analytic occurrence.

• “The moment I sat down I thought I was looking in the mirror.” -Twins (poor classification, a staple of analytic missteps.

…Don’t worry there are plenty more. Just click the link below!

Alton Brown, a celebrity chef, a food network personality, a food sciences, but we of course pin him as an analyst as well. Why?

1. It is all about science 2. He breaks everything down 3. He educates 4. He synthesizes 5. He experiments

Three shows come to mind when we talk about business tv shows, a new breed of reality television that teaches the basics of business, management, and investment. 1. Shark Tank - a show featuring

routine discussions of valuation, efficiency, and market penetration.

2. Hotel Impossible - a show featuring many examples of KPI’s and pricing.

3. The Profit - a show that regularly utilizes infographics and similar techniques to simplify information for the audience.

The Martian - Lessons in Problem Solving

A Pirates Guide to Start Ups

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Problem Solving isn’t the only thing the Martian can teach us. It is about iteration, it is about

science, and none of it is easy. Like The Martian, in every business it is inevitable that things with

occasionally “go south.” We must solve, we must overcome adversity, we must defy the odds.

We live in an age of mega-corporations, globalization, and mobilization. A time of heavy

government regulations, venture capitalists, and of course start-ups. None of this is new. It began in the 80s… the 1580s. They were the Corsairs and

the Privateers, which today most people lump together with Pirates, and understanding their process makes for a very interesting analogy.

Lord Varys - The Art of Analytics & Politics

Sometimes Incompetence Can Save the Day

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The world of corporate analytics can be a very political place and Lord Varys, from Game of

Thrones, makes an excellent role model for some very important analytic lessons. He is an intelligent

strategist, a man of great knowledge and influence, and most of all, he is a survivor.

Being a clever sidekick can be very beneficial. Teams at your company can often make bad

decisions, it just happens. But, we must remember that analytic teams can make great sidekicks.

Especially, if they stay clever, focus on winning the day, and have no qualms with remaining in the

shadows.

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