Ask Questions to Make Data-Driven Decisions (Coursera)

Learners who complete this certificate program will be equipped to apply for introductory-level jobs as data analysts. No previous experience is necessary.

By the end of this course, you will:

- Learn about effective questioning techniques that can help guide analysis.

- Gain an understanding of data-driven decision-making and how data analysts present findings.

- Explore a variety of real-world business scenarios to support an understanding of questioning and decision-making.

- Discover how and why spreadsheets are an important tool for data analysts.

- Examine the key ideas associated with structured thinking and how they can help analysts better understand problems and develop solutions.

- Learn strategies for managing the expectations of stakeholders while establishing clear communication with a data analytics team to achieve business objectives.

Course 2 of 8 in the Google Data Analytics Professional Certificate.

What You Will Learn

- Explain how each step of the problem-solving road map contributes to common analysis scenarios.

- Discuss the use of data in the decision-making process.

- Demonstrate the use of spreadsheets to complete basic tasks of the data analyst including entering and organizing data.

- Describe the key ideas associated with structured thinking.

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Asking effective questions

To do the job of a data analyst, you need to ask questions and problem-solve. In this part of the course, you’ll check out some common analysis problems and how analysts solve them. You will also learn about effective questioning techniques that can help guide your analysis.

WEEK 2

Making data-driven decisions

In analytics, data drives decision making. In this part of the course, you’ll explore data of all kinds and its impact on decision making. You’ll also learn how to share your data through reports and dashboards.

WEEK 3

Learning spreadsheet basics

Spreadsheets are an important data analytics tool. In this part of the course, you will learn both why and how data analysts use spreadsheets in their work. You will also explore how structured thinking can help analysts better understand problems and come up with solutions.

WEEK 4

Always remember the stakeholder

Successful data analysts learn to balance needs and expectations. In this part of the course, you’ll learn strategies for managing the expectations of stakeholders while establishing clear communication with your team to achieve your objectives.