Christopher J. West, PhD Practicum Manager Institute for Advanced Analytics North Carolina State University
The Challenges Of Integrating Industry Sponsored Data
Analytics Projects Into Graduate Education For Professionals
NC State's Institute For Advanced Analytics Experiences And Lessons Learned
Business Risk meets Higher Ed
Senior Marketing Research Analyst
Job Description
We are seeking a highly motivated Senior Marketing Research Analyst for our Business Analysis division to develop and present insightful and innovative solutions for a top fast moving consumer goods manufacturer located in the Richmond, VA area. The selected candidate will train at MSA’s headquarters in Pittsburgh, PA for a period of three to six months. After which, the selected candidate will begin working on-site at the client location on a full-time basis, with occasional trips back to Pittsburgh to meet with the core team.
The successful candidate will become an integral part of the client’s analytics group, forging successful client relationships as well as providing value-adding business insights. The new hire will also proactively seek additional business opportunities for MSA to provide to the client. Qualified candidates must possess an analytical background coupled with strong business acumen. Additionally, solid communications skills are required for articulating business recommendations based on quantitative modeling and techniques. The candidate will be required to utilize statistical packages such as SAS and SPSS to manipulate and integrate all germane data sources, as well as perform the statistical modeling.
Required Skills
• Requires BS/BA in quantitative business, math, statistics, economics or equivalent experience • MBA degree or MS in Statistics may substitute for one year of experience • Minimum three years related experience • Knowledge of statistics, mathematics and marketing required; business exposure highly desirable • The person must be knowledgeable of different quantitative research techniques and familiarity with various data sources preferred • High level of comfort and skill with statistical packages (knowledge of SAS desirable) and Microsoft Office products essential • Ability to translate analytical results to business implications is essential • Previous experience with project management and leading small project teams • Ability to effectively interact with clients • Excellent written and oral communication skills • Good interpersonal and team skills • Ability to multi-task is essential
New Employees
Data Driven Results
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New Employees
Data Driven Results
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New Employees
Data Driven Results
Communication
Practical
Teamwork
Analytical Techniques
Computing
Practicum - The Vision “A team-based learning experience that gives the student the opportunity to accomplish real-world analytics projects using data from sponsoring organizations.” 1. Soft-skills instructional content…and reflection 2. Learn by doing…and reflecting 3. A real-world project with deliverables for a customer
“At the core of the curriculum…”
The Nature of The Projects • A 4-5 person team… • …coached by IAA staff…
• …under signed Non-Disclosure Agreement • …from September to April • The Data: ~50M-2TB*, Messy/Clean, Structured/
Unstructured, Nominal to Ratio, Text… • Work Pace Avg*: 8-10 hrs/student/week
• Deliverables: Report + Presentation + Other
• Free
The Practicum Project Timeline
~5/1: Director’s call for proposals
~7/1: Proposal submission deadline
~8/31: Project selection announced*
~8/15 Team composition announced*
pre-solicitation marketing
proposal development
May June July August
student workload
primer boot camp fall + initial practicum
forming
The Practicum Project Timeline
~9/1: NDAs signed
~9/15: Data transfer complete*
~12/15: Midterm Review*
~10/1 Kickoff Meeting*
forming storming norming performing Sep Oct Nov Dec
fall + increased practicum
exploration understanding (re-)scoping data posturing
student workload
The Practicum Project Timeline
~3/15: Draft deliverable submissions
~4/10 – 5/1: Iterative final presentations: Coaching staff, Director, Sponsor
performing reporting Jan Feb Mar Apr
data posturing execution deliverables graduation
student workload job interviews
+ practicum
winter + practicum
winter + practicum
Practicum Project 8-months, 4-5 Students, No Fee, Confidential, Industry Standard Tools, Executive Presentation, Report, +, +, ….
Business Risk meets Higher Ed
The Sponsor: Proposal + Communication
The Data: Analysis
The Toolbox & Team:
Scope Development and Sources of Risk
The Challenges Proposal solicitation/development/selection Expectations management for sponsor Confidentiality agreements Data transfer and management Team allocation
Scope development Project management and milestone reviews Coaching vs. Advising (who owns/is-the-face-of the project) Deliverables development The people
Proposals The Marketing Funnel Iterative Development vs. Cold at Deadline Danger Areas (startups, top priorities, cheap consultant, sponsor maturity, do they know their data) Initial Idea >> Formal Proposal
• Bottomline Value • 3 to 5 Business Objectives • Describe the Data
Lawyers and IT The Form – online and short
The Sponsor
Sponsor Maturity – hoping for the sweet spot Do they know their data Expectations management – setting the sponsor up for success A handshake vs. a formal consultancy contract
Confidentiality Agreements
Free helps Its about student experience so give the sponsor the product No non-compete clauses Negotiation on language limited
Timely Data Transfer – the #1 source of risk to educational value
Commit to timeline in the proposal Commit them to timeline at acceptance Connect them to your IT and watch closely Cancel early and have a solid backup
The Teams Getting to know the students The ideal team leader profile Matching leads to projects The strong follower The higher end technical/programming talent Gender, nationality, student domain knowledge, maturity, student preference _____________________________ The Free Rider, the Dominator, and the Quiet One >>> Peer Feedback (the secret)
The Data Getting/developing the data dictionary Mergers and Joins Discovering Personally Identifiable Information Security When the data won’t support the proposed objectives
The Team
The Scope
Project Management and Milestones
Coaching vs. Advising
The Deliverables
The People
IAA Information • Want to sponsor a project? Its free, its confidential, and we use industry standard software… • Bottomline impact, 3-5 objectives, data description
• Website: • http://analytics.ncsu.edu/
• Contact Information: • [email protected]