Certified Analytics Professional Certification brought to you by INFORMS
INFORMS Analytics Framework
The INFORMS Analytics Framework outlines specific analytics responsibilities and tasks essential for driving successful projects and impactful business decisions. Developed by the analytics community, the framework aims to establish best practices for analytics success.
FRAMEWORK DEFINITION:
Experienced Certified Analytics Professionals (CAPs) from diverse industries – including government, military, consulting, and academia served as subject matter experts. Using a detailed job task analysis methodology, they defined three core levels of applied analytics roles:
Each level corresponds to a CAP certification. Seven core domains of knowledge were identified, detailing tasks and subtasks necessary for professional success within an analytics team. Competence differences across the three role levels were elaborated for each task and subtask. The resulting matrix of analytics competencies were validated by a larger sample of practicing analytics professionals.
OUTCOME:
The result is a comprehensive framework and structure for all considerations during an analytics approach, from initial business problem framing through data collection, model development, deployment, and maintenance. This framework represents best practices for achieving applied analytics project success. It helps identify overlooked areas that may lead to project failure.
SIGNIFICANCE:
The framework is more than a project checklist. It is valuable for:
- Hiring Managers and HR Professionals to use the skills checklist for screening and interviewing candidates for analytics roles.
- Academic Institutions to build curricula to cover essential skills and abilities, ensuring students are well-rounded and prepared for the full analytics lifecycle.
- Educating organizational stakeholders involved in analytics projects to ensure teamwork and project success, even for those outside the core analytics team.
Domain I
Business Problem (Question) Framing
The business problem (question) framing domain includes activities related to understanding the business problem and evaluating the scope of the problem.
| Task 1.1 | Develop an initial statement of a business problem (question). |
| Task 1.2 | Identify all stakeholders and their perspectives. |
| Task 1.3 | Determine if the business problem (question) is amenable to an analytics solution. |
| Task 1.4 | Refine the initial business problem (question) statement until it is clear and concise. |
| Task 1.5 | Create an initial business case for a solution to the business problem (question). |
| Task 1.6 | Obtain sponsor agreement and stakeholder alignment on the business problem (question) statement. |
Domain II
Analytics Problem Framing
The analytics problem framing domain includes activities related to understanding and framing the business problem (question) as an analytics problem.
| Task 2.1 | Reformulate the statement of the business problem (question) as an analytics problem statement. |
| Task 2.2 | Develop a proposed set of drivers/inputs and determine how they relate to outputs. |
| Task 2.3 | State the set of assumptions related to the analytics problem. |
| Task 2.4 | Define primary measures of success. |
| Task 2.5 | Identify baseline performance of the current state. |
| Task 2.6 | Identify risks and mitigation strategies for an effective potential analytics solution implementation. |
| Task 2.7 | Obtain sponsor agreement and stakeholder alignment on the Analytics Problem Framing. |
Domain III
Data
The data domain includes activities related to identifying what data is needed and available, manipulating data so as to render it usable to find the answer to an analytics problem, and the required documentation and reporting needs.
| Task 3.1 | Identify and prioritize data needs. |
| Task 3.2 | Identify and analyze data sources including data structures. |
| Task 3.3 | Create a data management plan. |
| Task 3.4 | Acquire data. |
| Task 3.5 | Clean, harmonize, transform, merge/join, and validate data. |
| Task 3.6 | Assess data quality and identify relationships in the data. |
| Task 3.7 | Document and report data findings (e.g., data quality, impact analysis, results, data management plan.) |
| Task 3.8 | Validate and update the business and analytics problem statements. |
Domain IV
Methodology (Approach) Framing
The methodology (approach) selection domain includes activities related to selecting the methods/techniques, software and tools that will enable analytics problem solutions.
| Task 4.1 | Determine available and appropriate methods/techniques for the identified problem. |
| Task 4.2 | Evaluate and select methods/techniques, given the resources and available data. |
| Task 4.3 | Understand the technical solution architecture. |
| Task 4.4 | Evaluate and select the technology stack. |
Domain V
Analytics/Model Development
The analytics/model development domain includes activities related to identifying, using, calibrating, and integrating models as well as the documentation of the model and communication of findings.
| Task 5.1 | Design the model structure. |
| Task 5.2 | Build one or more appropriate models. |
| Task 5.3 | Run, verify, and evaluate the model performance and outputs. |
| Task 5.4 | Calibrate model and improve data applicability based on client input. |
| Task 5.5 | If necessary, integrate multiple models. |
| Task 5.6 | Document and communicate model findings including assumptions, limitations, and constraints. |
Domain VI
Deployment
The deployment domain includes activities related to the delivery of the analytics solution and requirements to support the deployment into the business.
| Task 6.1 | Perform business validation of the analytics solution. |
| Task 6.2 | Deliver business validation report with findings. |
| Task 6.3 | Obtain sponsor agreement and stakeholder alignment on moving forward with deployment. |
| Task 6.4 | Create requirements for a deployed analytics solution including model, usability, system and business. |
| Task 6.5 | Actively support the implementation and testing of the production analytics solution/system. |
| Task 6.6 | Actively support deployment validation and verification, including production data flows. |
Domain VII
Analytics Solution Lifecycle Management
The analytics solution lifecycle management domain includes activities related to continuous oversight and calibration and training activities to ensure the analytics solution continues to function as planned and returns valid answers.
| Task 7.1 | Track analytics solution performance. |
| Task 7.2 | Recalibrate and maintain the analytics solution. |
| Task 7.3 | Support training activities. |
| Task 7.4 | Validate the business case for the analytics solution over time. |
| Task 7.5 | Analyze side effects of the analytics solution over time. |
| Task 7.6 | Ensure documentation is complete and/or maintained. |
Download the all three CAP Exam Blueprint based on the INFORMS Analytics Framework
The CAP Exam blueprints indicate how each of elements of the INFORMS Analytics Framework are used in each of the three levels of the CAP exams.