Analysis Paralysis
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Thinking & Decisions

Frame the question, define the problem, and connect analytical work to decisions that matter.

Start here to think through the problem before reaching for the data.

Reading guide

What questions are we asking?

The useful unit of analysis is a decision. Before choosing a metric or building a dashboard, work out who will act, what could change, and which assumptions could make the answer misleading. These essays connect the business question to the analytical work that follows.

  • What makes a business analysis useful?
  • How do you frame a problem before opening the dataset?
  • When does a dashboard create confidence without understanding?

A suggested reading path

  1. What are the characteristics of good business analysis?

    Start with the criteria: repeatability, business rationale, and a path to action.

  2. Start by Not Touching the Data

    Apply those criteria to the moment you receive an analytical brief.

  3. Dashboards are the problem, Not the solution

    Then question whether the reporting process actually supports that decision.

  4. Well-defined processes and deserts

    Check whether a precise definition can still send the work in the wrong direction.

Try it at work

Take a report you use regularly. Write down the decision it supports, the person making it, and one finding that would change their action. If you cannot name those, start the next conversation there.

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