Making Sense of Data: A Practical Guide to Exploratory Data Analysis and Data Mining

2.1 OVERVIEW

This chapter describes a series of issues that should be considered at the start of any data analysis or data mining project. It is important to define the problem in sufficient detail, in terms of both how the questions are to be answered and how the solutions will be delivered. On the basis of this information, a cross-disciplinary team should be put together to implement these objectives. A plan should outline the objectives and deliverables along with a timeline and budget to accomplish the project. This budget can form the basis for a cost/benefit analysis, linking the total cost of the project to potential savings or increased revenues. The following sections explore issues concerning the problem definition step.