Author: DMAIPH

Analytics Expert and President & Founder of DMAI.

Breaking Bad Data Habits

It’s a common mistake to get creative with your data in excel to such an extent that its next to impossible to use that data effectively.

The concept of keep it simple stupid is hard to follow as once a person has some data they tend to spend far more time formatting and decorating it then they do analyzing it. Its just human nature.

However when we don’t keep data in clean and easy to access formats, we pretty much make that data useless to anyone else who really wants to play with it.

The best and really only way to keep data useful is to have it in a simple column with 1 header row format. From that we can use numerous tools to both format and analyze the data like pivot tables and Tableau.

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How DMAIPH Uses Analytics > Doctor’s in Houston

I love public data mining projects like this…

Here is what we need:
A list of primary care, internal medicine, general medicine, and geriatric physicians in the Houston area who have written prescriptions for the atypical antipsychotic class of medications.

Specifically:

  • These physician specialties (primary care, internal medicine, general medicine, and geriatric physicians)
  • In these cities in the Houston MSA (Houston, Texas City, Pearland, Friendswood, Clear Lake, Missouri City, Sugarland, Katy, Cypress, Spring, The Woodlands, Tomball, Conroe, Cleveland, Kingwood, Porter, Humble, Baytown, Pasadena, Beaumont)
  • Can we get this mapped into an Excel spreadsheet with the following columns of data:
    • Separate columns for last name, first name
    • Specialty
    • Address
    • Overall volume of Medicare claims for all of the antipsychotic medications (quetiapine fumarate, Seroquel, Seroquel XR, risperidone, Risperdal, Abilify, olanzapin, and Zyprexa).

If you find research projects like this interesting, then DMAIPH is the place for you! 🙂

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Analytics Outsourcing – DMAIPH has successful set up Filipino analytics teams for over a dozen U.S. based businesses. Offering both virtual and office based teams that specialize in problem solving using data, new technology and analytics techniques is our strength. Finding and empowering analytics talent is increasingly challenging, but we have it down to a science. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to learn more about how to set up an analytics-centric team in the Philippines.

Word Of The Day: Cohesive

From Jim Collins, Good to Great, “Organizational Health is about making your business function more effectively by building a cohesive leadership team, establishing real clarity among those leaders, communicating that clarity to everyone within the organisation and then putting in place structures to reinforce that clarity on an on-going basis”

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Full Definition of COHESIVE from Webster’s:  exhibiting or producing cohesion or coherence <a cohesive social unit> <cohesive soils>

Examples of COHESIVE

 Their tribe is a small but cohesive group.

Religion can be used as a cohesive social force.

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Being more cohesive. That is my goal for January 2015.

Let’s take this team of experienced and well intentioned individuals and mold them into a more effective force for the development of the business.

Lack of structure is can be the death knell of even the best companies.

Our structure needs to be more defined and transparent.

Let us commit to getting on the same page and demonstrating that from top to bottom.  After all, Homies help homies, always!

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The key challenge is coming up with metrics to measure the cohesiveness of your organization.  I have figured that out, so if you need help, connect with me and I will show you how.

Analytics Leadership – DMAIPH specializes in arming the Data-Driven Leader with the tools and techniques they need to build and empower an analytics centric organization. Analytics leadership requires a mastery of not just analytics skill, but also of nurturing an analytics culture. We have guided thousands of Filipino professionals to become better analytics leaders. Contact DMAIPH now at analytics@dmaiph.com or connect with me directly to discuss a uniquely tailored strategy to ensure you are the top of your game when it comes to Analytics Leadership. 

It’s All About Adding Value

The last few days I have been thinking a lot about how to explain a concept that is important to understanding how to be successful in any company, but especially in mine.

When I look at those who have risen up through the ranks and have seen promotions and pay raises, there is one thing that really stands out. They have found ways to add value to the business. They do more than just the minimums and they have been rewarded for it.

When I look at those who have not been as successful I see the opposite. There is a sense of entitlement that they deserve something more, but at least in my eyes, have yet to prove they have earned. In each of their cases I see opportunities missed and choices made that did not add value to the company.

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I did a little research and came across this statement from a business blogger Brian Loomer, “If you go through your workdays just trying not to get fired, then you are probably headed for trouble,” says Loomer.

“Instead, push those negative thoughts out of your mind. Focus on the work you do and how you add value to your company. Infuse positivity and a can-do attitude to those on your team. Work smarter than your competition and you can get ahead every time.”

And finally, I would add you need to figure out what is valuable in the eyes of your customers, your boss, and the company as a whole. Focusing on just what is valuable to you is not what being part of a team is all about .

A Compliment That Really Made My Day

Just wanted to share a compliment that really made day from a colleague of mine. Esin and I met at a Tableau conference in October 2011, which was right when I was in the midst of planning on leaving Wells Fargo to set up my own business in the Philippines.

I asked Esin if I could share this in my blog, “It has been very inspiring to see the growth of your business via Linkedin. I remember vividly you describing your business plan over lunch at the Las Vegas Tableau conference.”

“You had a vision and you executed it successfully. Not many people have that kind of follow-through. I wish you health, happiness, and continued success in 2015.”

Now that really made my day.

We Are The Choices We Make

This time of the year, I tend to be very reflective.. both on the year that is almost past and the life that is one more year of me in the making.

Which each year we are faced with new challenges and new opportunities. How we deal with these challenges and what we do with these opportunities shape the year and the person we have become.

Its all about the choices we make.

As wes spend the last few days of the year with family and friends, enjoying the holidays, I think its important to look at the choices we have made that have led us to where we are now.

We made some good choices and we made some bad choices, but if indeed we are happier now than we were before the we are mainly making the right choices. If not, then its a good time make some resolutions to make better decisions in the coming year.

For in the end we are the choice we make.

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