When communicating with stakeholders which are important considerations select all that apply

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Always remember the stakeholder

Test your knowledge on balancing team and stakeholders needs

1. As a data analyst, it’s important to communicate often. Sharing detailed notes and creating reports are ways to communicate with the people who have invested time and resources in a project. Who are these people?

• Stakeholders (Correct)
• Executives
• Subject-matter experts
• Customer-facing team

Correct: Stakeholders invest time and resources into a project. Sharing detailed notes and creating reports are useful ways to keep them up-to-date.

2. The customer-facing team does which of the following activities? Select all that apply.

• Tell the data story to others.
• Share customer feedback. (Correct)
• Provide operational leadership for the company.
• Compile information about customer expectations. (Correct)

Correct: The customer-facing team compiles information, shares feedback, and sets expectations.

3. The human resources director approaches a data analyst to propose a new data analysis project. The analyst has a lot of experience in human resources and believes the director is taking the wrong approach, and it will lead to some problems. Select the data analyst’s best course of action.

• Complete the project as requested, but set aside some time in the future to fix the problems that are sure to come up.
• Respectfully explain their viewpoints and offer the director some additional information to help improve the project. (Correct)
• Politely explain that they’re too busy to take on another project at this time.
• Tell the director that they’re very sorry, but they can’t work on the project.

Correct: The analyst should respectfully explain their viewpoints and offer the director some additional information to help improve the project.

Test your knowledge on Clear communication

1. To communicate clearly with stakeholders and team members, there are four key questions data analysts ask themselves. The first is: Who is my audience? Identify the remaining three questions. Select all that apply.

• How can I communicate effectively to my audience? (Correct)
• Why are stakeholders and team members important?
• What does my audience already know? (Correct)
• What does my audience need to know? (Correct)

Correct: The four key questions data analysts ask themselves when communicating with stakeholders are: Who is my audience? What do they already know? What do they need to know? And how can I communicate effectively with them?

2. A colleague sent you a question via email nearly two days ago. You know it’s going to take a while for you to find the answer because you need to do some research first. You’re too busy to get it done today. What’s the best course of action?

• Respond right away with your best guess to the answer of their question. The sender has been waiting nearly 48 hours, and any response is better than nothing.
• Reply with a quick update thanking the sender for their patience and letting them know when they can expect you to respond with the answer to their question. (Correct)
• Delete the email. By the time you’re able to answer the question, it won’t be helpful information anyway.
• Forward the email to the entire data analytics team, and ask if someone else can answer the question for you.

Correct: The best course of action is to reply with a quick update thanking the sender for their patience and letting them know when they can expect you to respond with the answer to their question.

3. Focusing on stakeholder expectations enables data analysts to achieve what goals? Select all that apply.

• Build trust (Correct)
• Improve communication among teams (Correct)
• Multitask more effectively
• Understand project goals (Correct)

Correct: Focusing on stakeholder expectations enables data analysts to understand project goals, improve communication, and build trust.

4. A stakeholder has asked a data analyst to produce a report very quickly. What are some strategies the analyst can apply to ensure their work isn’t rushed, answers the right question, and delivers useful results? Select all that apply.

• Outline the problem (Correct)
• Work overtime to get the report done by the following day
• Set clear expectations about timeframe (Correct)
• Reframe the question (Correct)

Correct: To ensure their work answers the right questions and delivers useful results, the data analyst should set clear expectations, outline the problem, and reframe the question.

5. Asking questions including, “Does my analysis answer the original question?” and “Are there other angles I haven’t considered?” enable data analysts to accomplish what tasks? Select all that apply.

• Use data to get to a solid conclusion. (Correct)
• Help their team make informed, data-driven decisions. (Correct)
• Consider the best ways to share data with others. (Correct)
• Identify primary and secondary stakeholders.

Correct: Asking questions such as these enables data analysts to consider the best ways to share data with others, help their team make informed decisions, and use data to get to a solid conclusion.

Test your knowledge on teamwork

1. Your supervisor gives you a new data analysis project with unclear instructions, and you become frustrated trying to figure out how to proceed. Which actions you can take next demonstrate a responsibility to move the project forward? Select all that apply.

• Find your supervisor in person so they can clearly observe how frustrated you are.
• Do some additional research to better understand the context of the request. (Correct)
• Send your supervisor an email letting them know they did not explain the project well.
• Schedule a time to ask your supervisor more questions about the big picture goals. (Correct)

Correct: Doing additional research and asking questions are effective ways to determine how to proceed with a new project.

2. You’re working on a data analysis project with a coworker, and the two of you disagree on what the data is telling you. Things get tense. The best course of action is to go to your supervisor and politely explain that your coworker is looking at the data incorrectly. Then, ask to work with a different coworker on future projects.

• True
• False (Correct)

Correct: Discussion is the key to conflict resolution. If you find yourself in the middle of a conflict, start a conversation so you can each explain your concerns and figure out the best path forward.

3. A director emails you asking for a report by the end of the week. This type of report takes at least 10 days to complete correctly. What is the best course of action?

• Call the director, and let them know there’s no way anyone could possibly meet that deadline.
• Complete the report as best you can by the end of the week so you meet the requested deadline.
• Forward the email to another data analyst on your team, and ask them to do the report instead. It’ll still be late, but at least it won’t reflect poorly on you.
• Email the director and say that you would be happy to do that, but you believe it will take 10 days to get the information you need. Then, ask if you can discuss the possibility of a different timeline. (Correct)

Correct: The best course of action is to email the director to politely explain the timeline required to complete the report properly.

*Weekly Challenge 4*

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 (Correct)
• The vice president of operations
• The project manager (Correct)
• The president of the company

Correct: The secondary stakeholders are most likely the data analyst and the project manager.

2. 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 (Correct)

Correct: At an online marketplace, the customer-facing team includes anyone in an organization who interacts with current or potential shoppers.

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?

• Identify primary and secondary stakeholders
• Communicate clearly with stakeholders and team members (Correct)
• Understand who is managing the data
• Complete data analysis projects on time

Correct: These questions enable data analysts to communicate clearly with stakeholders and team members.

4. 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?

• Walk into the supervisor’s office and tell them to give the project to someone else.
• 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. (Correct)
• Respond immediately, letting the supervisor know the expectations at this company are unreasonable.

Correct: They should wait a few minutes to think it over, then respond with a meeting request to discuss this project and the general workload. When people are feeling angry or emotional, it’s best to wait until things calm down. Then, give everyone the opportunity to share their perspectives.

5. To make sure that a few unusual responses don’t skew results or lead to inaccurate judgments, a data analyst focuses on what element of the data collection?

• Visualization
• Sample size (Correct)
• Data cleaning
• Statistical significance

Correct: To make sure a few unusual responses don’t skew results or lead to inaccurate judgments, a data analyst focuses on sample size.

6. 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.

• Plan to arrive on time. (Correct)
• Create and share a revised agenda that includes many more details about their project.
• Bring materials for taking notes. (Correct)
• Think about what project updates they should share. (Correct)

Correct: They can prepare for an effective meeting by arriving on time, bringing materials to take notes with, and considering what project updates to share.

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.
• 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. (Correct)
• Politely let the presenter know they’re going to leave the meeting and rejoin toward the end.
• Tell the participants that they’re having technical trouble, then leave the meeting to continue working on other tasks.

Correct: They should stay focused and attentive during the entire meeting. Listening and learning from others are great ways to learn about your company, its challenges, and its goals.

8. 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.

• Identify the person who caused the issue so they can take responsibility.
• Take a moment to check your emotions before engaging in an argument. (Correct)
• Reframe the question by asking, “How can I help?” (Correct)
• Ask for a conversation to help you better understand the big picture. (Correct)

Correct: To help shift a situation from problematic to productive, reframe the question, keep your emotions in check, and establish open lines of communication.

*Course Challenge*

1. Scenario 1, questions 1-5

You’ve just started a job as a data analyst at a small software company that provides data analytics and business intelligence solutions. Your supervisor asks you to kick off a project with a new client, Athena’s Story, a feminist bookstore. They have four existing locations, and the fifth shop has just opened in your community.

After reading the email, you notice that the acronym WHM appears in multiple places. You look it up online, and the most common result is web host manager. That doesn’t seem right to you, as it doesn’t fit the context of a feminist bookstore. Still, you should assume it’s correct and continue with the project.

• True
• False (Correct)

Correct: Asking questions is a very important part of data analysis. The best course of action is to send your boss a polite, concise email, asking for the meaning of WHM.

2. Scenario 1 continued

The data in column F (Survey Q6: What types of books would you like to see more of at Athena’s Story?) is quantitative.

• True
• False (Correct)

Correct: The data in column F (Survey Q6: What types of books would you like to see more of at Athena’s Story?) is qualitative.

3. Scenario 1 continued

The attribute of column F is, “Survey Q6: What types of books would you like to see more of at Athena’s Story?” In order to verify that children’s literature and feminist zines are among the most popular genres, you create a visualization. This will help you clearly identify which genres are most likely to sell well during the Women’s History Month campaign.

Your visualization looks like this:

The chart you create demonstrates the percentages of each book genre that make up the whole. It’s called an area chart.

• True
• False (Correct)

Correct: It’s called a pie chart. Pie charts are effective at demonstrating the percentages of a whole, such as the percentage of customers who would be interested in purchasing books of different genres.

4. Now that you’ve confirmed that children’s literature and feminist zines are among the most requested book genres, you review the Historical Sales dataset.

You’re pleased to see that the dataset contains data that’s specific to children’s literature and feminist zines. This will provide you with the information you need to make data-inspired decisions. In addition, the children’s literature and feminist zines metrics will help you organize and analyze the data about each genre in order to determine if they’re likely to be profitable.

Next, you calculate the total sales over 52 weeks for children’s literature. What is the correct syntax?

• =CALCULATE(D2:D53)
• =SUM(D2:D53) (Correct)

• =MAX(D2:D53)
• =COUNT(D2:D53)

Correct: The correct syntax is =SUM(D2:D53). The SUM function adds the values of a range of cells. D2:D53 is the specified range.

5. Scenario 1 continued

After familiarizing yourself with the project and available data, you present your approach to your supervisor. You provide a scope of work, which includes important details, a schedule, and information on how you plan to prepare and validate the data. You also share some of your initial results and the pie chart you created.

Using historical data to make informed decisions about how things may be in the future is an example of which problem domain?

• Spotting something unusual
• Making predictions (Correct)
• Discovering connections
• Identifying themes

Correct: Using historical data to make informed decisions about how things may be in the future is an example of making predictions.

6. Scenario 2, questions 6-10

As you’ve learned in this course, stakeholders are people who invest time, interest, and resources into the projects you’ll be working on as a data analyst. Secondary stakeholders are also typically responsible for managing the data. Based on what you find in the organizational chart, which of the secondary stakeholders are responsible for managing the data? Select all that apply.

• Project manager, strategy
• Data analytics coordinator (Correct)
• Project manager, analytics
• Junior data analyst (Correct)

7. Scenario 2 continued

Next, the vice president wants to understand your knowledge about asking effective questions. Consider and respond to the following question. Select all that apply.

Let’s say we just completed a big event for a client and wanted to find out if they were satisfied with their experience. Provide some examples of measurable questions that you could include in the customer feedback survey.

• On a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 being not at all likely and 5 being very likely, how likely are you to recommend Patel Events Plus? (Correct)
• Would you recommend Patel Events Plus to a colleague or friend? Yes or no? (Correct)
• Why did you enjoy the event planned by Patel Events Plus?
• How would you describe your event experience?

Correct: In the SMART methodology, measurable questions can be quantified and assessed. This might include a 1-to-5 scale or questions with yes-or-no responses.

8. Scenario 2 continued

Now, the vice president presents a situation having to do with resolving challenges and meeting stakeholder expectations. Consider and respond to the following question.

You’re working with a dataset that the data analytics coordinator should have cleaned, but it turns out that it wasn’t. Your supervisor thought the dataset was ready for use, but you discover nulls, redundant data, and other issues. The project is due in less than two weeks. How would you handle that situation?

• Call a formal meeting with the data analytics team to solve the problem. Do not invite the associate data analyst, as they clearly don’t have time to help.
• Contact the data analytics coordinator and insist they clean the dataset immediately so you don’t miss your project deadline.
• Communicate with the data analytics coordinator about the issue and offer to work together to clean the data so the project doesn’t fall behind. (Correct)
• Email your supervisor to let them know the associate data analyst did not complete their assigned task.

Correct: This situation present an opportunity to communicate, collaborate, and foster positive working relationships

9. Scenario 2 continued

Your next interview question deals with sharing information with stakeholders. Consider and respond to the following question. Select all that apply.

Let’s say you’ve created a report to present stakeholders with information about an upcoming event. Describe the benefits of using a report.

• Reports offer live monitoring of incoming data.
• Reports provide a snapshot of high-level, historical data. (Correct)
• Reports reflect data that’s already been cleaned and sorted. (Correct)
• Reports enable stakeholders to interact with the data.

Correct: Stakeholders invest time and resources into a project. Sharing detailed notes and creating reports are useful ways to keep them up-to-date.

10. Scenario 2 continued

Your final behavioral interview question involves using metrics to answer business questions. Your interviewer hands you a copy of the Patel Events dataset.

Then, she asks: Recently, Patel Events Plus purchased a new venue for our events. If we asked you to calculate the return on investment of this purchase, which metrics would you use?

• 2019 events held at new venue (column D)
• Purchase price (column C)
• Net profit in 2019 (column F) (Correct)
• Purchase date

Correct: Return on investment is made up of two metrics: the net profit over a period of time and the cost of the investment. By comparing these two metrics, you can determine the profitability of the investment.

When communicating with stakeholders which are important considerations?

What information should be communicated to stakeholders?

How do stakeholders communicate with each other?

What are the types of stakeholders in communication?