Week 4: Always remember the stakeholder
1. A data analyst starts a new project for the operations team at their company. They take a few hours at the beginning of the project to identify their stakeholders. The secondary stakeholders are most likely which of the following people? Select all that apply.
- The data analyst
- The project manager
- The president of the company
- The vice president of operations
2. A data analyst is researching the buying behavior of people who shop at a company’s retail store and those who might shop there in the future. During the analysis, it will be important to stay in communication with the people who most often interact with these shoppers. They are members of the executive team.
- True
- False
3. There are four key questions data analysts ask themselves: Who is my audience? What do they already know? What do they need to know? And how can I communicate effectively with them? These questions enable data analysts to achieve what goal?
- Understand who is managing the data
- Communicate clearly with stakeholders and team members
- Identify primary and secondary stakeholders
- Complete data analysis projects on time
4. Data analysts pay attention to sample size in order to achieve what goals? Select all that apply.
- To fully understand the scope of the analytics project
- To avoid a small sample size leading to inaccurate judgements
- To make sure the data represents a diverse set of perspectives
- To make sure a few unusual responses don’t skew results
5. A data analyst receives an email from the vice president of marketing. The vice president is upset because the report they want from the analyst is late. Select the best course of action.
- The analyst should call the vice president and ask them how important it really is to their marketing efforts.
- The analyst should send the report immediately, even if it’s not completely finished. This will make the vice president happy.
- The analyst should respond saying they understand the vice president’s concerns, provide a status update, and let the vice president know when to expect the completed report.
- The analyst should apologize for the delay and inform the vice president that the marketing managers caused the delay.
6. Arriving at meetings prepared is an important part of creating a professional work environment. This involves which of the following actions? Select all that apply.
- Bringing materials to take notes with
- Considering what questions you may be asked so you’re prepared to answer
- Reading the meeting agenda ahead of time
- Bringing a laptop to keep an eye on emails
7. A data analyst joins an online meeting on time. After reviewing the agenda, they see that their project comes at the very end. They’re extremely busy and can use this time to stay on top of their current projects. How should they proceed?
- Mute themselves and turn off the camera, then continue working on other tasks until their project is mentioned.
- Tell the participants that they’re having technical trouble, then leave the meeting to continue working on other tasks.
- Politely let the presenter know they’re going to leave the meeting and rejoin toward the end.
- Stay focused and attentive during the entire meeting. Even though some items on the agenda don’t affect their projects, they could still learn something or have something to contribute.
8. Your data analytics team has been working on a project for a few weeks. You’re almost done, when your supervisor suddenly changes the business task. Everyone has to start all over again. You announce to the team that you’re going to say something to the supervisor about how unreasonable this is. What’s the best next step?
- Insist that the entire data analytics team complain to your supervisor.
- Go see your supervisor face-to-face and tell them why you’re so upset.
- Write a polite, but strongly worded email to your supervisor.
- Take a few minutes to calm down, then ask your colleagues to share their perspectives so you can work together to determine the best next step.
9. A data analyst is researching the buying behavior of people who shop at a company’s retail store and those who might shop there in the future. During the analysis, it will be important to stay in communication with the team that most often interacts with these shoppers. What is the name of this team?
- Data science team
- Project management team
- Executive team
- Customer-facing team
10. You receive an angry email from a colleague on the marketing team. The marketing colleague believes you have taken credit for their work. You do not believe this is true. Select the best course of action.
- Delete the email. It’s best not to create any additional conflict.
- Reply to the email, asking if they can schedule a time to talk about this in person in order to allow both of you to share your perspectives.
- Walk over to the marketing colleague’s cubicle, and tell them you strongly disagree.
- Forward the email to the marketing director with an equally angry note.
11. A data analyst has been invited to a meeting. They review the agenda and notice that their data analysis project is one of the topics that will be discussed. How can they prepare for an effective meeting? Select all that apply.
- Bring materials for taking notes.
- Plan to arrive on time.
- Think about what project updates they should share.
- Create and share a revised agenda that includes many more details about their project.
12. Which of the following steps are key to leading a professional online meeting? Select all that apply.
- Maintaining control of the meeting by keeping everyone else on mute.
- Sitting in a quiet area that’s free of distractions
- Making sure your technology is working properly before starting the meeting
- Keeping an eye on your inbox during the meeting in case of an important email
13. A team member has asked you to take on a task, and you don’t understand the point of the project. It seems like it will be a waste of your time. The best course of action would be to politely explain your concerns and decline the project.
- True
- False
14. Fill in the blank: A data analytics team is working on a project to measure the success of a company’s new financial strategy. The vice president of finance is most likely to be the _____.
- project manager
- analyst
- primary stakeholder
- secondary stakeholder
15. At an online marketplace, the _____ includes anyone in an organization who interacts with current or potential shoppers.
- executive team
- data science team
- project management team
- customer-facing team
16. There are four key questions data analysts ask themselves: Who is my audience? What do they already know? What do they need to know? And how can I communicate effectively with them? These questions enable data analysts to identify the person in charge of managing the data.
- True
- False
17. A data analyst has been invited to a meeting. They review the agenda and notice that their data analysis project is one of the topics that will be discussed. They plan to arrive on time and have a pen and paper to take notes. But they do not spend time considering project updates they could share or questions they may be asked. This is appropriate because they’re not the one running the meeting.
- True
- False
18. A data analytics team is working on a project to measure the success of a company’s new financial strategy. Select the person most likely to be the primary stakeholder for this project.
- The project manager
- The data analyst
- The vice president of finance
- The director of analytics
19. To communicate clearly with stakeholders and team members, there are four key questions data analysts ask themselves. One of them is: What does my audience need to know? Identify the remaining three questions. Select all that apply.
- Why are stakeholders and team members important?
- Who is my audience?
- How can I communicate effectively to my audience?
- What does my audience already know?
20. Conflict is a natural part of working on a team. What are some ways to help shift a situation from problematic to productive? Select all that apply.
- Take a moment to check your emotions before engaging in an argument.
- Ask for a conversation to help you better understand the big picture.
- Reframe the question by asking, “How can I help?”
- Identify the person who caused the issue so they can take responsibility.
21. Data analysts focus on statistical significance to make sure they have enough data so that a few unusual responses don’t skew results.
- True
- False
22. A data analyst feels overworked. They often stay late to finish work, and have started missing deadlines. Their supervisor emails them another project to complete, and this causes the analyst even more stress. How should they handle this situation?
- Accept the new project right away and hope to not miss another deadline.
- Wait a few minutes to think it over, then respond with a meeting request to discuss this project and the general workload.
- Walk into the supervisor’s office and tell them to give the project to someone else.
- Respond immediately, letting the supervisor know the expectations at this company are unreasonable.
23. When participating in an online meeting, it’s okay to keep your inbox open in another browser window. Participants won’t be distracted because they can’t see it, and you might receive a very important message.
- True
- False
24. To make sure that a few unusual responses don’t skew results or lead to inaccurate judgements, a data analyst focuses on what element of the data collection?
- Statistical significance
- Sample size
- Visualization
- Data cleaning