Strayer JWI599 Discussions Latest 2022 January (Full)

JWI599 BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND CAPSTONE

Week 1 Discussion

Choose a Focus Area for Your Capstone Project

Read the Course Guide, specifically the Capstone Project instructions.

Identify the type of industry or sector in which you are interested in choosing a company for your Capstone Project. For example, tech, healthcare, manufacturing, hospitality, etc. Explain your choice.

Identify a focus area you would like to develop in your Capstone Project. This can be a new product or service, an operational change that would result in significant cost reductions and/or quality or margin improvements, or a major branding or marketing initiative. Why did you select this focus area? What are some of the biggest challenges or opportunities organizations in this sector are facing right now?

As you learn more about the CEO MIndset, what specific issues are you most excited about exploring in your Capstone Project?

NOTE: You should develop your Capstone Project around a focus area you are genuinely interested in and which is relevant to your career. In considering your choices, remember that you will need to gather and analyze real data. Therefore, it is critical that you have access to verifiable sources of information for the industry and focus area you would like to explore.

This week only, post your initial response by Friday, midnight of your time zone, and reply to at least 2 of your classmates' initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone.??

NOTE: In Weeks 2 through 10, your initial response is due by Wednesday, midnight of your time zone.

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JWI599 BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND CAPSTONE

Week 2 Discussion

Select Your Organization and Frame the Problem/Opportunity

Building on the sector and focus area you identified in your Week 1 discussion post, select a specific organization for your Capstone Project. This can be a publicly-traded company, a private company, a governmental agency, or a non-profit.

NOTE: You will NOT be permitted to use the same organization you have previously used for a major assignment in JWI 540 or JWI 575.

To prepare for your DQ post:

Research the organization via media searches, annual reports, and the organization's website. Look for a problem/opportunity that you can analyze through data. Your problem/opportunity must fit into the focus area identified in your Week 1 DQ post. This could be a new product or service, an operational change that would result in significant cost reductions and/or quality or margin improvements, or a major branding or marketing initiative.

In your post:

What is the critical problem/opportunity you will focus on? Why have you identified this particular problem/opportunity?

What sort of data should you gather and analyze to accurately assess the problem or opportunity? Is it sales data, demographic data, product performance data, or another type of data?

Explain why this type of data is needed for this particular problem or opportunity.

How will you obtain the necessary data?

 

JWI599 BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND CAPSTONE

Week 3 Discussion

Gathering and Organizing Your Data

Having identified the types of data you will need, it's time to gather, review, and organize your data. This is a critical step in preparing to demonstrate to your Board of Directors that there is a legitimate demand for a solution to the problem you want to solve or the opportunity you want to explore.

In your post, answer the following questions:

What sources did you use to gather your data, and why did you use these?

What impact will any gaps in your data have on the validity of your analysis? How will you address this?

How should you organize your data so that important patterns, trends and anomalies are clearly visible?

Which analytical method (Descriptive, Predictive, or Prescriptive - see Davenport & Kim pp. 3-5) did you use to assess your data? Why did you choose this method over others?

 

JWI599 BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND CAPSTONE

Week 4 Discussion

Turning Data into Information

Having framed the problem/opportunity, formulated a testable hypothesis and gathered and organized key data, you are ready to continue your analysis by developing a data story that can be shared with others. To get started, download and review the "Types of Data Analysis" guide from our Week 4 readings, above.

Apply one or more of the following analytical tools to your dataset:

Correlation

Regression

Grouping and Visualization

Variance

Standard Deviation

Explain whether your analysis of the data confirmed or refuted your testable hypothesis.

 

JWI599 BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND CAPSTONE

Week 5 Discussion

Refining Your Data Story

To deliver an effective Board Brief and presentation, you will need to display your data to decision makers in a way that is easy to understand. Respond to the prompts below:

What are the most critical elements of your data story that need to be communicated?  Explain.

How will you organize and share your data so that it tells a clear and compelling story? (See p. 107 of Davenport & Kim for a list of types of visual graphics used to present data)

Select two data display techniques discussed by Duarte in Chapter 6 and/or Chapter 7 and use them to present two important data sets from your analysis.

 

JWI599 BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND CAPSTONE

Week 6 Discussion

Defining Your Strategy

Based on the analysis you have undertaken over the last several weeks, create a brief, well-crafted statement, explaining your strategy for your chosen organization. To explain and defend your strategy, the statement should answer the following questions:

What are the key elements of your strategic plan?

How will this plan, if successful, advance the mission of the organization?

What are the most critical findings in your analysis of market conditions and data that indicate this is the best strategic option to pursue?

How will your plan strengthen your organization's economic moat and create a position of sustainable market leadership that can't be easily replicated by your competitors?

 

 

 

 

JWI599 BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND CAPSTONE

Week 7 Discussion

Funding Your Plan and ROI

(1) View the video on Project Economics Basics in this week's EOP videos and then use the Cost-Benefit Analysis Worksheet Click for more options  to calculate ROI, Payback, and IRR for your strategic initiative. The spreadsheet will calculate these items for you, but you will need to input the data from your analysis and forecasts, including:

The expected revenue impact for the organization from your plan

The costs of launching your plan, including:

Acquisition and/or sale of assets

Salary expenses including hiring, training or performance bonuses, if applicable

Manufacturing, marketing, operations overhead, etc.

Ongoing operating expenses that will be tied to the initiative once it is launched

Cost savings (if your project is focused on operational improvements)

(2) Review your cost-benefit analysis in the worksheet and briefly answer these questions:

How will you fund the startup and ongoing costs for your strategic initiative?

How will your plan improve the organization’s financial health relative to its competitors?

How does your plan compare to your company’s average (or industry average) profit margins for similar projects or services?

Why is your proposed plan superior to other options to strengthen the long-term financial health of the organization?

Provide a summary of how you arrived at your investment, revenue, and cost forecasts.

Important: Attach your completed Cost-Benefit Analysis Worksheet with your initial post.

Post your initial response by Wednesday, midnight of your time zone, and reply to at least 2 of your classmates' initial posts by Sunday, midnight of your time zone.?

 

JWI599 BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND CAPSTONE

Week 8 Discussion

Your People Plan

Staffing decisions will likely play a critical role in the successful implementation of your strategic plan. Referencing people management practices you have studied in this program and drawing on your own experience, address the following:

What changes to team structures and key roles will you need make to execute your strategic initiative? Explain.

Will the head count/salary costs be net positive, negative, or neutral? Why?

What training and other resources will you require to support the new plan?

What is the most critical element of your people plan that you will have to get right for your plan to work? Why?

 

JWI599 BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND CAPSTONE

Week 9 Discussion

Leading Change

As you make your final preparations for your Board Presentation, what operational and organizational changes will you make to ensure the successful implementation of your plan? Comment specifically on the following:

The timelines and costs for these changes.

Using Kotter's 8-Stage Process for Leading Change, pick the 3 or 4 stages that are most critical to the successful implementation of your plan. Explain why you identified these.

How do your proposed changes align with your organization's culture and where do you anticipate the greatest resistance?

How will you measure the success of the changes you plan to make?

 

JWI599 BUSINESS ANALYTICS AND CAPSTONE

Week 10 Discussion

Your JWMI Journey

Answer this Discussion Question in your current position as a JWMI student, not in the role you have played this term as a CEO.

In reflecting back on your leadership journey at JWMI, discuss how your career and management practices have evolved. In your post, please address the following:

What are your most important takeaways from the program?

What practices have you been able to apply in your job?

How have these practices impacted your ability to lead?

What have been your most significant areas of growth?

Tell us about any promotions you have received or changes in jobs, responsibilities, etc.

What advice would you give to an incoming JWMI student?