Masters Certificate in Analytics for Leaders

Take Charge of Analytics and Turn Your Data Into a Competitive Advantage.

Create value from organizational data and make smarter business decisions for increased performance and profitability.

It’s no surprise that in the digital economy, companies that develop the ability to leverage their data make better decisions across many functional areas, and create a significant competitive advantage. But what organizational knowledge and skills are required to do so effectively? While most organizations today collect data as a basis for decision making, seeing patterns in the exploding volumes being generated by customer and client interactions quickly becomes impossible. Analyzing it properly to extract and distill the insights it contains in order to make better business decisions requires some specialized skills and tools.

What Does Predictive Analytics Entail?
Leveraging data involves choosing and using the right analytics tools to “open a window into the future” for experimentation with different courses of action in order to assess the potential outcomes. It works when somebody is able to recognize when there is an opportunity and then ask the right questions of the data. The result is meaningful insights that uncover hidden or unexpected connections, correlations, patterns and trends.

Communication Skills Are Critical
It then becomes necessary to refine the insights and shape them into a format that effectively communicates results and recommendations to managers across the organization so they can take action. That’s where data visualization that goes beyond the raw numbers and brings the data to life comes in. Implementation is driven by visuals that clarify concepts and tell the business story.

Leadership Dimensions
For analytics to gain traction, organizational infrastructure, processes and capabilities that support it over the long run must also be developed and implemented. That involves being able to envision, advocate for and manage change when necessary. Applying analytics focused entrepreneurial and design thinking results in a culture that fully engages the workforce for maximum effectiveness. Those working in the field also need the interpersonal skills to interact effectively with stakeholders who are involved in analytics-based initiatives.

This program has been designed to furnish participants with a comprehensive working knowledge of the subject, allowing them to cultivate an analytics mindset and successfully apply analytics to inform and  support organizational objectives and strategy.

How Technically Demanding is it? The modules have been developed for nondata scientists and do not require any prior technical knowledge. Some topics make use of math but only for explanation or demonstration purposes. All participants require to benefit is an openness to learning. Whether you’re looking to implement a data analytics program from scratch, take your use of data to the next level, or simply increase your fluency in the domain, this is the program for you.

Note: Participant groups will present a final Capstone Project.

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Program Content

MODULE 1: Analytics and Leadership
April 8, 10, 12 and 17, 2024 (2 hour sessions)

Learn, practice and perfect the softer leadership skills which have proven critical for successfully engaging  with human factors when implementing analytics-based projects.

• Leading with Analytics
• Pair your business expertise with data science’s capabilities
• Identify the best corporate analytical strategy for success
• Overcome communication barriers
• Negotiating and Influencing Skills
• Influence people on the conversational or interpersonal level
• The art and science of negotiating
• Attain win/win outcomes with conflict resolution

Module 2: Introduction to Analytics
October 16, 18, 20 and 23, 2023 (2 hour sessions)
April 19, 24, 26 and May 1, 2024 (2 hour sessions)

An exploration of the underlying principles, this module will familiarize you with the reasons why it’s possible to trust data to make better decisions compared to intuition or experience.

• Data vs. Intuition + Data-Driven Decision Making
• Decision-making strategies based on data vs. intuition
• Use data skills to build effective intuitions and vice versa
• Drive up ROI with data driven approaches
• Understanding Variation + Correlation vs. Causation
• Consistency of process through measuring variability
• Distinguish correlation from causation for better insight
• Variables and relationships relevant to business problems

Module 3: Business Insights with Data
October 25, 27 and November 1, 2023 (2 hour sessions)
May 3, 8 and 10, 2024 (2 hour sessions)

“Moneyball” insights are real! Locate the moneyball instances within your organization by asking the right data questions, and then successfully present insights using data visualization.

• Finding “Moneyballs” with Analytics
• Explore Applied Moneyball Theory as a unique value multiplier
• Unlock thinking and skills for identifying high value moneyballs
• Create predictive measures and questions to ask of the data
• Data Visualization with Tableau
• Ask the right questions to reveal patterns and trends
• Illustrate actionable insights with data visualizations
• Empower decision makers with management dashboards

Module 4: Managing Data
November 3, 8, 10 and 15, 2023 (2 hour sessions)
May 15, 17, 22 and 24, 2024 (2 hour sessions)

Learn the fundamentals of an analytics infrastructure: what’s required to store, access, manipulate and manage data from technical, regulatory, privacy and cybersecurity perspectives.

• Data Governance & Privacy
• Modern macro and micro drivers for effective data governance
• Organizational alignment and crossfunctional engagement
• Internal/external roles and responsibilities
• Overview of Databases and Big Data Tools
• Big data and data science for more informed business decisions
• How big data analytics can drive competitive advantage
• Cloud, mobility, security, social media and online business

Module 5: Data Science in Action
November 17, 22, 24 and 29, 2023 (2 hour sessions)
May 29, 31, June 5 and 7, 2024 (2 hour sessions)

Envision the practical predictive analytics applications most suited to your organization now, and explore the additional possibilities afforded by data science technologies.

• Introduction to Predictive Analytics
• Explore the past to predict advantageous future outcomes
• Apply tools and methods to your business decisions
• Differing science and data needs across industries
• A Map of the Terrain and Technologies
• The difference between supervised and unsupervised learning
• Common and useful data science algorithms in practice today
• Technologies most useful in enabling workplace data science

Module 6: Digital Transformation
December 1, 6 and 8, 2023 (2 hour sessions)
June 12, 14 and 19, 2024

This module provides participants with strategies and techniques to enable the digital transformation which analytics represents to gain and maintain traction in their organization.

• Entrepreneurial Thinking for Tech Strategies
• Data & AI challenges prevalent in the enterprise today
• Compare disruptive startup vs. enterprise tech strategies
• Methodologies to execute like a tech-enabled start-up
• Design Thinking in the Age of Big Data
• Create organizational value through internal design thinking
• Frame internal challenges to deliver new benefits
• Apply design thinking through an analytics lens

Module 7: Capstone Project Presentation 
December 15, 2023 (2 hour session)
June 21 and 26, 2024  (2 hour sessions)

Participants will present in groups on a case which challenges them to think about artificial intelligence in the  context of large enterprises and how to develop a scalable business to serve the AI needs of these firms.

Top Take-Aways

• Quickly learn about the complete range of knowledge and skills required to practice analytics sustainably, and the management competencies required to oversee it
• Gain hands-on exposure to working with both basic and advanced concepts in data science without getting into the weeds of programming
• Develop the confidence to embrace data-driven opportunities and the skills to initiate data-analysis transformation in their organization or functional area
• Increase fluency in the domain in order to understand how to build and manage an analytics team, or communicate more effectively with data scientists

Who Should Attend

This program has been designed for executives and professionals with diverse needs from any sector or functional area, including managers who:

• Want to learn about data analytics tools and techniques and leverage insights from big data to allow their organization to make better business decisions
• Are tasked with implementing, enhancing or expanding the role of analytics in their organization
  Currently work on analytics projects or are involved with a data team, and want to increase their fluency in the domain and their command of its tools and techniques

 

This program is delivered in partnership with Schulich Executive Education Centre at York University.