Assignment 2: Data Analysis

Due: Monday, 9:00 am (eastern), Week 6 (Weight: 20%)

Overview

This assignment picks up where the last one left off. Having accurately framed the core problem/opportunity in Assignment 1, you will now turn your attention to collecting, organizing, and analyzing the data you are using to test your hypothesis. You are not yet ready to propose a specific action plan for your business. You will focus on evaluating what data you have and don’t have, and on identifying patterns, trends, and anomalies. Because you can never have complete data, your analysis must acknowledge what you know and what you don’t know. But, even with incomplete data, your actions must be reasonable given the time frame and resources you have. Those actions – your strategic plan – will be developed in Assignment 3.

Instructions

For this assignment, you will build on your first assignment by including an additional 3 to 4 pages to present your analysis of the data. Your submission must include the work you did in Assignment 1 and must provide relevant and quantifiable data, models, calculations, and analysis. Use the topics below to organize this section of your Board Brief:

1. Data Sources and Reliability

a. What data were the most critical to the analysis of the problem/opportunity you identified in Assignment 1? Explain.

b. What sources did you use to gather the data?

c. How reliable and complete are the data you are using? What steps did you take to validate this?

d. What data are unknown (or unknowable) at this stage? How does this impact your analysis?

2. Data Tools and Analysis

a. Drawing from the “Types of Analysis” guide and other resources from the course, what tools and techniques have you used in your analysis? Why did you select these?

b. Applying the analysis tools to your selected data, what patterns, trends, and anomalies did you uncover?

c. How do these patterns, trends, and anomalies shed light on the problem/opportunity you identified?

d. Leveraging your work in the Discussion Questions and the guidance from our course materials, include charts, tables, and/or other visual supports to ensure that your data tells a clear story that your reader can easily understand.

3. Conclusion and Action Items

a. What does your analysis tell you about where you should focus your efforts to drive meaningful improvement?

Formatting and Submission Requirements

• Submit your work in Word

• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, your professor’s name, and the course title and date

• Include a references page with your sources

• The cover page and the references page are not included in the required page length

• Use professional font (Times New Roman or Arial), 10-12 font size, and double-space

• Headings are used to identify main topics and subtopics

• Paragraphs are separated by a single space

Rubric: Assignment 2

Criteria

Unsatisfactory

Low Pass

Pass

High Pass

Honors

1. Data Sources and Reliability

Weight:25%

Response was missing,
inaccurate, or offtopic, and/or addressed 2 or fewer of the questions

Provided a
basic response to 2 or more of the questions; contained minimal detail or
insight into the value of the data

Provided a
good response to 3 or more of the questions; demonstrated good attention to
detail and insight into the value of the data

Response
provided a complete and wellreasoned

treatment of all 4
questions and provided very good additional detail and insight into the value
of the data

Met HP criteria plus added
significant and relevant commentary on

data
identification and collection and application processes

2. Data Tools and

Analysis

Weight:
25%

Did not submit an adequate
response for any of the data analysis questions

Submitted a complete and
accurate response for 2 or fewer questions

Submitted a complete and
accurate response for 3 questions, but lacked sufficient exploration of main
themes

Submitted a complete and wellreasoned

treatment of all 3
questions supported by specific examples

Met HP
criteria plus added significant relevant insight from additional sources

3. Data

Presentation

Weight:
30%

Data
presentation was missing or poorly displayed; did not make use of appropriate
charts, tables, graphs, or other tools covered in the course

Data
presentation used 2 or fewer tools covered in the course and/or selection of
tools was arbitrary and did not direct the reader to critical patterns,
trends, and anomalies

Data
presentation used 3 or more tools covered in the course, but selection of
tools seemed arbitrary; critical patterns, trends, and

anomalies
were not clearly displayed

Data
presentation used 3 or more tools covered in the course; selection of tools
was appropriate for each data set and enabled the reader to clearly identify
critical patterns, trends, and anomalies

Met all HP
criteria plus made excellent use of color, page layout, and other design
elements that made the paper engaging and visually compelling

4. Conclusions and

Action Items

Weight:
20%

Conclusions
and action items were missing, unclear, or did not connect the data and
analysis

Conclusions and action
items were basic and lacked sufficient
detail or did not connect the data and analysis

Conclusions and action
items were sound and supported by the
data and analysis

Conclusions and action items
demonstrated excellent insight and were wellgrounded in the data and
analysis, demonstrating a solid grasp
of realworld obstacles

and opportunities

Met all HP
criteria plus included additional insights and references, demonstrating a
thorough understanding of Jack’s guidance on ‘eating and dreaming’