Data analysts hold several roles within their works. In this part of the course, you learn about some of these roles and the fundamental skills used by analysts. You will also learn analytical thinking as well as its relevance to data-driven decision making.
Learning Objectives
- Define the terms data and decision-driven. Clarify the examples What are the most important attributes of analytical thinking?
- Self-assessment of analytical thinking should be accompanied by examples of the situations in which analytical thinking has been applied to carry out Individual tasks.
- Understand the five fundamental analytical abilities of a data analyst.
- How analytical thinking leads to better decision-making.
- How to question better going forward.
Get a read on your analytical skills
1. This practice quiz will help you get a read on the analytical skills you already have.
After you respond to each question, be sure to check the feedback you receive. This will help you check your own thinking against the expected thinking for these questions. The analytical skills assessed in this quiz will come in handy and be further developed as you progress in the program.
Identify the pattern from left to right in the set of blocks below and try to predict which block should replace the block with the question mark.
(Correct)
Correct: The gap is this. Just by one dot increases each block amount. The right answer, therefore, contains a total of five dots.
2. Here’s a more complex pattern. Identify the pattern from left to right in the images below and try to predict which image should come next.
Based on the images above, which option comes next in the pattern?
Correct: The triangle with two dots is the next image in the sequence, following two patterns in the series: the number of sides and the number of dots. From left to right, both decrease by one. Since the previous shape had four sides and three dots, the next shape should have three sides and two dots.
3. Now, find a pattern in a different format. Select the next number in the sequence:
Fill in the blank: 9, 13, 17, 21, 25, 29, _____
- 10
- 25
- 33 (Correct)
- 55
Correct: That’s accurate. The answer to this question is 33. The sequence of these numbers increases by 4 for every successive step.
4. The following numbers are in a sequence from left to right. Determine the pattern and decide which number should come next:
Fill in the blank: 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, _____
- 30
- 64 (Correct)
- 81
- 62
Correct: The next number in the series is 64. There are two patterns in the sequence. One is that each number is squared and then the number being squared is increased by one (e.g., 2², 3², 4², 5², 6², 7²). The second pattern is in the difference between the numbers in the sequence: 9 – 4 = 5, 16 – 9 = 7, 25 – 16 = 9, and so on.
5. The following question is about recognizing and matching patterns in shapes that are the same, but viewed from different angles.
Two shapes are similar when one can become the other after a rotation clockwise ⟳ or counterclockwise ↺, or a reflection horizontally ↔ and/or vertically ↕.
You are task is to choose the figure that completes the statement. Pay attention to the pattern by which the first and second shapes are related, and then figure out which choice matches shape 3. Fill in the blank:
Select the image below that completes the statement.
(Correct)
Correct: This image fills in the blanks. The second is simply a reflection of the first image. As such, on the same analogy, the right option would have to be an image that appears side-by-side as a reflection on the third image.
6. The following question is about recognizing and matching patterns in shapes that are the same, but viewed from different angles. Two shapes are similar when one can become the other after a rotation clockwise ⟳ or counterclockwise ↺, or a reflection horizontally ↔ and/or vertically ↕.
Which image completes it?
(Correct)
Correct: Since the pattern in the first image was rotated 90 degrees counter-clockwise, this image completes the statement.
7. The following series of codes are in a sequence from left to right. There is a repeating pattern that you will notice. Determine the pattern and decide which code should come next.
Fill in the blank: A1, B3, C5, D7, E9, F11, G13, _____
- H15 (Correct)
- D17
- J15
- H16
Correct: The continuing sequences in this sequence are alphabet letters arranged in the order of the English alphabet and numbers increasing by two for every new set. Therefore, applying this logic, the next code would be H15.
8. The following series of codes are in a sequence from left to right. There is a repeating pattern that you will notice. Determine the pattern and decide which sequence of letters should come next.
Fill in the blank: A, AA, AAA, B, BA, BAA, BAAA, BB, BBA, BBAA, BBAAA, BBB, _____
- BBBA (Correct)
- BBAA
- BBAAA
- BBBB
Correct: Instead of writing three As followed by the occurrence of one letter opposite to them, the letter has to be replaced by a letter that follows the previous one. Hence BBBA is next in the series.
9. Now, identify patterns in a word problem using a data visualization. There are 12 chocolates in a box: eight have caramel filling, six have coconut filling, and two have both caramel and coconut filling. Choose the best image that describes this box of chocolates.
(Correct)
Correct: In total, 12 chocolates are represented by the six chocolates having only caramel filling, four chocolates containing only coconut filling, and two chocolates filled with both caramel and coconut fillings.
10. There are 10 children in a class and they have all brought sandwiches for lunch: five children have sandwiches with peanut butter, six children have sandwiches with jelly, and three children have sandwiches with both peanut butter and jelly.
Find out how many children have sandwiches with neither peanut butter nor jelly and choose the image that describes the situation best.
(Correct)
Correct: This diagram shows six sandwiches with jelly, five with peanut butter, and three with both. This results in 5+6−3=85 + 6 – 3 = 8, meaning eight sandwiches have either peanut butter or jelly. With a total of 10 children, 10−8=210 – 8 = 2, indicating that two children have sandwiches with neither peanut butter nor jelly.
PRACTICE QUIZ: Test your knowledge on Analytical Thinking
1. What practice involves identifying, defining, and solving a problem by using data in an organized, step-by-step manner?
- isualization
- Data design
- Context
Correct: Analytical thinking is the means of identifying and defining a problem, followed by resolution in systematic steps using data.
2. Which of the following are examples of data visualizations? Select all that apply.
- Reports
- Charts (Correct)
- Graphs (Correct)
- Maps (Correct)
Correct: Data visualization utilizes tools like graphs, maps, and charts.
3. Gap analysis is used to examine and evaluate how a process currently works with the goal of getting to where you want to be in the future.
- True (Correct)
- False
Correct: Gap-analyzing current processes provides an assessment and evaluation in order to identify steps to be taken for achieving a desired future state.
4. Which aspect of analytical thinking involves being able to identify a relationship between two or more pieces of data?
- Correlation (Correct)
- Context
- Data Design
- Visualization
Correct: Correlation is the establishing of a relationship between two or more data points, that is, how they are linked or correlated. It is a relationship.
PRACTICE QUIZ: TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE ON OUTCOMES
1. Fill in the blank: Curiosity, understanding context, and having a technical mindset are all examples of _____ used in data-driven decision-making.
- Thought processes
- Data models
- Business strategies
- Analytical Skills (Correct)
Correct: Analytical skills with respect to inquiry, contextual understanding, and a technical mindset are considered the keystones of making data-driven decisions.
2. Surveying customers about their preferences and using that information to inform business strategy is an example of data-driven decision-making.
- True (Correct)
- False
Correct: Collecting customer feedback via surveys and using this data in shaping a business strategy is an example of data-driven decision-making.
3. In data analysis, which analytical skill involves the management of people, processes, and tools?
- Data design
- Data strategy (Correct)
- Data control
- Data analytics
Correct: The data strategy includes the administration of people, processes, and tools.
GOOGLE DATA ANALYTICS COURSERA ANSWERS AND STUDY GUIDE
QUIZ: WEEKLY CHALLENGE 2
1. Curiosity is an analytical skill that involves which of the following?
- Seeking out new challenges and experiences (Correct)
- Collaborating to solve a problem
- Working with facts in an orderly manner
- Using your gut instinct
Correct: Such curious individuals always end up seeking new challenges and experiences that add to their knowledge.
2. Adding descriptive headers to columns of data in a spreadsheet is an example of which analytical skill?
- Understanding context (Correct)
- Big-picture thinking
- Data strategy
- Curiosity
Correct: What we mean by context is the condition in which one exists. For example, some context may refer to such things as a structure. Such a column header in the top row of a spreadsheet makes the context for the data contained below it.
3. Having a technical mindset is an analytical skill involving what?
- Breaking things down into smaller steps or pieces (Correct)
- Understanding the condition in which something exists or happens
- Balancing roles and responsibilities
- Managing people, processes, and tools
Correct: A technical mindset is being able to break down tasks into smaller steps or components, and to tackle them in an organized and logical way.
4. Data design is how you organize information; data strategy is the management of the people, processes, and tools used in data analysis.
- True (Correct)
- False
Correct: This enables to design the data structure while data strategy manages people, processes and tools involved in data analysis.
5. Correlation is the aspect of analytical thinking that involves figuring out the specifics that help you execute a plan.
- True
- False (Correct)
Correct: Correlation is the understanding at recognizing a relationship between more than one data point or a single data point.
6. What method involves asking numerous questions in order to get to the root cause of a problem?
- Curiosity
- Inquiry
- The Five whys (Correct)
- Strategizing
Correct: The approach of the five whys consists of intent inquiry as an inquiry to understand the true or basic cause of the problem.
7. An airport wants to make its luggage-handling process faster and simpler for travelers. A data analyst examines and evaluates how the process works currently in order to achieve the goal of a more efficient process. What methodology do they use?
- Strategy
- Data visualization
- The five whys
- Gap analysis (Correct)
Correct: It is an exercise in gap analysis, which is really comparing assessing and valuating current processes against values in ascertaining what steps need to be taken to get to the desired future.
8. Data-driven decision-making involves the five analytical skills: curiosity, understanding context, having a technical mindset, data design, and data strategy. Each plays a role in data-driven decision-making.
Fill in the blank: 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, _____
- True (Correct)
- False
Correct: Because making decisions based on data understands curiosity, contextualizes data, takes a technical approach to data design, and prepares a strategy for using data while adopting modelling.
9. Fill in the blank: Being able to identify a relationship between two or more pieces of data describes _____.
- visualization
- problem-orientation
- detail-oriented thinking
- correlation (CORRECT)
Correct: Correlation refers to the power of establishing a bond or a relation between two or more pieces of data.
10. Data analysts ask, “Why?” five times in order to get to the root cause of a problem.
- True (CORRECT)
- False
Correct: Data analysts would keep asking “why” five times to noble down to the root cause of the problem.
11. A company is receiving negative comments on social media about their products. To solve this problem, a data analyst uses each of their five analytical skills: curiosity, understanding context, having a technical mindset, data design, and data strategy. This makes it possible for the analyst to use facts to guide business strategy and figure out how to improve customer satisfaction. What is this an example of?
- Data visualization
- Gap analysis
- Data-driven decision-making (CORRECT)
- Data science
Correct: Data-driven decision making is the process of informing business strategy with facts. The five skills that make up important analytical capabilities are essentials in this process.
12. Seeking out new challenges and experiences in order to learn is an example of which analytical skill?
- Curiosity (CORRECT)
- Data strategy
- Having a technical mindset
- Understanding context
Correct: Seeking new experiences is the main thing that would help one to learn.
13. Identifying the motivation behind data collection and gathering additional information are examples of which analytical skill?
- A technical mindset
- Data strategy
- Data design
- Understanding context (CORRECT)
Correct: Grasping context is finding out the reasons behind data collection and gathering extra data. Context is the condition under which something exists.
14. Fill in the blank: _____ involves the ability to break things down into smaller steps or pieces and work with them in an orderly and logical way.
- A technical mindset (CORRECT)
- Context
- Curiosity
- Data strategy
Correct: Being technical means the ability to understand and break down tasks into constituent parts and deal with them in an organized, logical order.
15. Fill in the blank: Data strategy involves _____ the people, processes, and tools used in data analysis.
- choosing
- visualizing
- managing (CORRECT)
- supervising
Correct: Data strategy is the management of individuals, processes, and tools through which data analysis is performed.
16. The manager at a music shop notices that more trombones are repaired on the days when Alex and Jasmine work the same shift. After some investigation, the manager discovers that Alex is excellent at fixing slides, and Jasmine is great at shaping mouthpieces. Working together, Alex and Jasmine repair trombones faster. The manager is happy to have discovered this relationship and decides to always schedule Alex and Jasmine for the same shifts. In this scenario, the manager used which quality of analytical thinking?
- Visualization
- Problem-orientation
- Big-picture thinking
- Correlation (CORRECT)
Correct: Correlation, the power of identifying a relation between two or more pieces of data, was used by the manager.
17. The five whys is a technique that involves asking, “Why?” five times in order to achieve what goal?
- Put a plan into action
- Visualize how a process should look in the future
- Use facts to guide business strategy
- Identify the root cause of a problem (CORRECT)
Correct: The five whys method is a way of probing- asking “Why?” five times to reveal the actual reason behind an issue.
18. What method involves examining and evaluating how a process works currently in order to get it where you want it to be in the future?
- Data visualization
- Strategy
- The five whys
- Gap analysis (CORRECT)
Correct: Estimation of Gap is assessing and evaluating the present status of some process against a future desired state to determine the course of action to reach that future state.
19. A data analyst works for an appliance manufacturer. Last year, the company’s profits were down. Lower profits can be a result of fewer people buying appliances, higher costs to make appliances, or a combination of both. The analyst recognizes that those are big issues to solve, so they break down the problems into smaller pieces to analyze them in an orderly way. Which analytical skill are they using?
- A technical mindset (CORRECT)
- Data strategy
- Understanding context
- Curiosity
Correct: They have taken a technical attitude, which includes breaking tasks into small steps or components and approaching them in an organized and logica manner.
20. Understanding context is an analytical skill best described by which of the following? Select all that apply
- Working with facts in an orderly manner
- Gathering additional information about data to understand the broader picture (CORRECT)
- Adding descriptive headers to columns of data in a spreadsheet (CORRECT)
- Identifying the motivation behind the collection of a dataset (CORRECT)
Correct: Refer to the existences of something along with the structures. Collecting further information on data allows to give a broader picture and gives context.
Correct: Conditioning an entity against basic facts gives existence. Descriptive headers denoting columns in the spread-sheet bring context to every data recorded below it.
Correct: Context is a situation of some existing object like structure. Knowing what collecting a dataset aiming to help clarifies the context.
21. Gap analysis is a method for examining and evaluating how a process works currently in order to get where you want to be in the future
- True (CORRECT)
- False
Correct: Gap analysis is a process assessing current states against defined future states in order to, for example, identify changes needed in a program, measure progress toward objectives, or determine program effectiveness.
22. Which analytical skill involves managing the people, processes, and tools used in data analysis?
- Curiosity
- Data strategy (CORRECT)
- Data design
- Understanding context
Correct: Data strategy means managing the people, processes, and technologies involved in the analysis of data for effective data-driven decision-making.
23. Fill in the blank: Correlation is the observation that there is a _ between two or more pieces of data.
- visualization
- choice
- competition
- relationship (CORRECT)
Correct!
24. Fill in the blank: In order to get to the root cause of a problem, a data analyst should ask “Why?” ________ times.
- five (CORRECT)
- three
- seven
- four
Correct!
25. A junior data analyst is seeking out new experiences in order to gain knowledge. They watch videos and read articles about data analytics. They ask experts questions. Which analytical skill are they using?
- Data strategy
- Having a technical mindset
- Curiosity (CORRECT)
- Understanding context
Correct!
26. The analytical skill of understanding context entails which of the following?
- Managing people, processes, and tools
- Understanding the condition in which something exists or happens (CORRECT)
- Balancing roles and responsibilities
- Breaking things down into smaller steps or pieces
Correct!
27. In data analysis, data strategy is the analytical skill that involves managing which of the following? Select all that apply.
- Consent
- People (CORRECT)
- Tools (CORRECT)
- Processes (CORRECT)
Correct!
28. A grocery store owner notices that they sell more orange juice during the winter season, when people are more likely to get sick. After observing this for a couple of years, they decide to stock more orange juice during the winter. The store owner is using which quality of analytical thinking?
- visualization
- correlation (CORRECT)
- detail-oriented thinking
- problem-orientation
Correct!
29. What method involves asking multiple questions in order to get to the root cause of a problem?
- Curiosity
- Inquiry
- The five whys (CORRECT)
- Strategizing
Correct!
30. Data analysts following data-driven decision-making use the analytical skills of curiosity, having a technical mindset, and data design. What other two analytical skills would they employ? Select all that apply
- efficiency
- knowledge
- understanding context (CORRECT)
- data strategy (CORRECT)
Correct!
31. Fill in the blank: For a data analyst, curiosity is the analytical skill of seeking out new ______ and experiences in order to gain knowledge.
- challenges (CORRECT)
- stakeholders
- colleagues
- investments
Correct!
32. As a recently promoted data scientist one of your responsibilities is the implementation of data strategy. What would this responsibility include?
- visualization
- correlation (CORRECT)
- problem-orientation
- detail-oriented thinking
Correct!
33. Identifying a relationship between two or more pieces of data is known as what?
- visualization
- correlation (CORRECT)
- problem-orientation
- detail-oriented thinking
Correct!
34. In order to get at the root cause of a problem, a data analyst would ask ______ .
- project stakeholders
- the engineering team
- the five whys (CORRECT)
- their customers
Correct!
35. In data analysis, one often examines and evaluates how a process currently works in order to get it to where they want it to be in the future. This is known as what?
- Determining the stakeholders
- Building a data visualization
- Asking the five whys
- Gap analysis (CORRECT)
Correct!
36. Fill in the blank: In data-driven decision making, data analysts use five analytical skills of curiosity, understanding context, having a technical mindset, data design, and _______ .
- data strategy (CORRECT)
- intuition
- forward-looking
- efficiency
Correct!
37. As a new data analyst, your boss asks you to perform a gap analysis on one of their current processes. What does this entail?
- Determining the stakeholders
- Building a data visualization
- Examining and evaluating how a process works currently in order to get where you want to be in the future (CORRECT)
- Asking the five whys
Correct!
38. A technical mindset involves the ability to break things down into smaller steps or pieces and work with them in an orderly and logical way.
- True (CORRECT)
- False
Correct!
39. Fill in the blank: In data analysis, data strategy involves managing the people, processes, and _____ .
- procedures
- tools
- projects (CORRECT)
- consent
Correct!
40. A company is seeing a decline in organizational efficiency. They decide to hire an outside organization to help increase overall performance. The data analyst, working for the newly contracted company, utilizes five analytical skills: curiosity, understanding context, having a technical mindset, data design, and data strategy to deliver the project goals. Once the project goals are met, the analyst informs the decision makers of their findings and the project is completed. What strategy did the data analyst use to complete this project?
- Gap analysis
- The five whys
- Data-driven decision-making (CORRECT)
- Gut instinct
Correct!