Learning decision analysis in graduate school at Stanford University fundamentally changed my life. When I praise the practice’s virtues, people sometimes ask whether decision analysis can be used for personal life decisions. I always respond with an unequivocal “yes!” My examples typically refer to my “no regrets life.” Yet, I have never detailed a decision […]
While sports attention has long since moved on from the NBA Finals to the triumphs and tribulations of the World Cup, I cannot help reflecting back on the narratives heralding the improbable comeback of the New York Knicks in Game 4. The celebration of grit and resilience is common throughout sports and particularly compelling when […]
Colin Zima, CEO of business intelligence platform company Omni, crystallized for me the allergic reaction I had to Looker’s proposal to offer up Agentic Analytics to solve the problem of insufficient bandwidth for data analysts (see Agentic Analytics Cannot Lead: The Enduring Need for Data Professionals and Analytics Leadership). In an interview on DataFramed June […]
Modern navigation technology has transformed the way we drive, with AI-powered systems like Waze providing real-time route optimization based on dynamic traffic data. Traffic alerts from police and news departments further enhance this information by warning of unexpected road hazards. However, AI-driven recommendations are only as good as the data they have at the moment, […]
I ended up paying over $1000 to repair my recumbent exercise bike. Several information errors contributed to a costly tragicomedy that locked me into an expensive decision cycle. Not only did I pay $384 more than necessary to fix my bike, but also I was left wondering whether I would have decided to stick with […]
I recently wrote a memorial in honor of Dr. Ron Howard who taught me how to live a no regrets life. So when psychology professor Catherine Sanderson, PhD recently posted an article titled “The Best Strategy for Avoiding Regret? Take a Chance: Why Regrets of Inaction Haunt Us the Most“, I clicked right away and […]
No Regrets and Transformation I live a no regrets life thanks to Professor Ron Howard. Everything started after I took Howard’s Decision Analysis 101 class at Stanford University in the first year of my graduate studies in Engineering-Economic Systems (now Management Science and Engineering (MS&E). I learned the basic yet fundamental premise that a decision’s […]
Over the summer my 18-year old recumbent exercise bike failed. The bike had saved me countless trips to the gym over the years, especially in the early years when I lived many miles away from a gym and bike trails. Now, with the pedaling locked into the hardest effort level, I faced an age-old decision: […]
Introduction This post is the first in a series of “working papers” where I will explore how cognitive diversity, knowledge management, artificial intelligence, and data democratization can work together to support effective organizational decision-making. These are exciting times for practitioners of data across the entire spectrum of professions. Our tools are expanding at a rapid […]
Planning a family trip can be daunting. Parents and guardians must balance a myriad of preferences across eating, sleeping, and entertainment preferences all while maintaining a budget. A wrong turn or a small mishap can cascade into major vacation disruptions and undermine the best plans and budgets. I recently faced these important analytics challenges while […]
