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

2.7 SUMMARY

Table 2.1 summarizes the problem definition step.

Figure 2.1. Project timeline

Table 2.1. Project definitions summary

Steps	Details
Define objectives	Define the business objectives Define specific and measurable success criteria Broadly describe the problem Divide the problem into sub-problems that are unambiguous and that can be solved using the available data Define the target population If the available data does not reflect a sample of the target population, generate a plan to acquire additional data
Define deliverables	Define the deliverables, e.g., a report, new software, business processes, etc. Understand any accuracy requirements Define any time-to-compute issues Define any window-of-opportunity considerations Detail if and how explanations should be presented Understand any deployment issues
Define roles and responsibilities	Project leader Subject matter expert/business analyst Data analysis/data mining expert IT expert Consumer
Assess current situation	Define data sources and locations List assumptions about the data Understand project constraints (e.g., hardware, software, personnel, etc.) Assess any legal, privacy or other issues relating to the presentation of the results
Define timetable	Set aside time for education upfront Estimate time for the data preparation, implementation, and deployment steps Set aside time for reviews ...