Why do stakeholders keep asking data scientists for the wrong analysis?

They don't. They're telling you their symptoms, not their problems.

• "We have too much inventory in the warehouse."
• "Our sales are down this quarter."
• "Customer complaints are increasing."

These aren't problems - they're symptoms of deeper issues.

But most data scientists take these requests at face value and build solutions that address the symptom, not the root cause.

Then they wonder why their technically perfect models sit unused.

Decision scientist Prof Jeff Camm has a different approach. He treats business requests like detective work.

He starts by asking: "What's disturbing you? What's giving you heartburn?"

Then comes the game-changing question: "What do you control that could alleviate those symptoms?"

Whatever they can control - that's your real problem to solve.

But that's just the beginning.

In the latest Value Boost episode of Value Driven Data Science, Jeff walks me through his complete problem-framing framework and reveals advanced techniques for ensuring your analysis addresses real business needs.

You'll discover:

1. The medical doctor approach to diagnosing business problems by distinguishing symptoms from root causes [02:09]
2. The critical question that reveals what decisions actually need to be made [04:53]
3. How to turn model "failures" into valuable strategic insights for management [06:24]
4. Why thinking beyond the data prevents you from building technically perfect but business-useless solutions [10:04]

11 minutes that could transform how you approach every future project.

Listen now on Apple Podcasts or Spotify, or click the link below:
​Episode 81: How to Frame Data Problems Like a Decision Scientist​

Talk again soon,

Dr Genevieve Hayes