Description

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Data mining and predictive analytics are the 21st century’s most valuable new management tools. In this practical guide for organizational leaders and top-level executives, industry experts Jeff Deal and Gerhard Pilcher explain in clear, understandable English…

• what data mining and predictive analytics are
• why they are such powerful management tools
• how and when to use them for greatest positive impact across a broad spectrum of industries 

 

Complete with solid advice and instructive case studies, this
book demonstrates how to harness the power of data mining
and predictive analytics, and avoid costly mistakes. Use it to
gain a quick overview of analytics and as a handy resource to
be referred to during a project. If you’re preparing to lead or
participate in a data analytics initiative, this is the one book
you must read!

 

Receiving early, strong praise from business and government leaders who are using these powerful management tools to achieve dramatic goals for their organizations:

“I think this book could be a game-changer! I think every business and government leader who has anything to do with data analytics should read this book.”

—Yoony Doh, Advanced Analytics Practice Area Lead and Project Manager, Halfaker and Associates, LLC

“Delivers the two ingredients you need for success: 1) an understanding of the technology so you can speak the quants’ language and 2) a guide to analytics management best practices, including how to build your analytics team and avert the most costly pitfalls.” (Excerpt from the Foreword)

—Eric Siegel, Ph.D., founder of Predictive Analytics World, Author of Predictive Analytics: The Power to Predict Who Will Click, Buy, Lie, or Die

“Captures all the critical elements and decades of experiences into a few clear pages that will light the path for predictive improvements. I will be sharing it with my leadership and program managers. Great job gentlemen in making a complex equation simple to follow!”

—Fred Walker, Technical Director Counterintelligence, National Security Agency

“Amidst the concerns about the shortage of data scientists, a larger, over­looked obstacle is finding C-, VP-, and director-level leaders who understand enough about advanced analytics to hire, manage, and deploy solutions. Deal and Pilcher have written a practical and insightful ‘primer for executives’ to expertly fill this void.”

—Dean Abbott Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist at SmarterHQ, Author of Applied Predictive Analytics

“Data science and big data often don’t live up to their silver bullet hype. Why? Because IT and business are so different, and so hard to harmonize. This book is an excellent remedy; Deal and Pilcher distill a decade of analytics experience into a vital guide to what works. Mining Your Own Business is a must read for anyone interested in being right—by harnessing data to drive decisions.”

—Peter Aiken, PhD Founding Director/Data Blueprint, Associate Professor of Information Systems/Virginia Commonwealth University

“Deal and Pilcher have distilled their decades of experience into an easy-to-read book that will benefit any business person dealing with analytics. They keep technical details to a minimum while focusing on the key facts, decisions, and actions that business people need to be successful with analytics. Abundant real-world examples reinforce their practical and valuable advice. Your time reading the book will be well spent!”

—Bill Franks  Chief Analytics Officer, Teradata, Author of Taming The Big Data Tidal Wave and The Analytics Revolution

 

About the Author

Jeff Deal is Vice President of operations for Elder Research with more than thirty years of experience managing healthcare and consulting businesses. Though Jeff has been deeply immersed in the analytics business in a leadership role, he well remembers his initial introduction to this rapidly-moving field and brings that layman’s perspective to the book. Jeff also chairs the annual Predictive Analytics World – Healthcare conference, which attracts leading analytics professionals in the healthcare industry from around the country.

Gerhard Pilcher is Vice President and Senior Scientist for Elder Research, with more than thirty years of analytics experience in commercial businesses and government institutions. He is an adjunct faculty member in the Math and Statistics Masters Program at Georgetown University, a regular instructor in the SAS Business Knowledge Series courses, and a member on the advisory boards of the Institute for Advanced Analytics at North Carolina State University and the Masters of Science in Business Analytics Program at George Washington University.