You’re a Digital Analyst. You’re Not Technical, but You Should Be.

I recently came across a thread on Twitter where the original poster asked a simple question:

“What are some reasons non-technical analysts need to understand implementation?” — Jim Gordon

Many of the answers to this question were straightforward, and what I would consider common sense:

• … if they know how the numbers got in there in the first place, they’ll be able to better explain variations in those numbers over time…
• So they can provide input on improving the implementation.
• So they ask for realistic things.
• People need to understand what they are asking for.
• Gotta understand how the data is supposed to be collected in order to spot issues and errors.
• It’s not just what you measure — it’s how you measure, and what reality that reflects.

The overall theme that I took from these responses was that an informed analyst is a more effective analyst. An analyst who understands — truly understands — where the data comes from and what the data represents is better prepared to both ask and answer important business questions.

With this in mind, what are some analytical skills an analytics developer needs in order to be better at what they do?

Related: You’re an Analytics Developer. You’re not an Analyst, but You Should Be.