Next delivery: January 18 – April 26, 2021 (9AM – 11AM sessions)

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. 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.

This 13-day program for non-data specialists, is delivered in seven modules over three months and has been designed to quickly round out your knowledge of all the technical, managerial and organizational dimensions required to successfully and sustainably generate insights from data and translate them into action. This cutting-edge data analytics content is structured in convenient standalone modules can be taken by managers from any sector or functional area.

What is Required to Implement Data Analytics?

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.

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.

Program Brochure

Learn with peers across Canada.

This program is delivered simultaneously across Canada by the University Executive Education Network partner schools allowing you to interact, engage and network with peers from a huge variety of industries and experience.

Program Objective

The 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.

Participants will:

  • 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

How Technically Demanding is it?

The modules have been developed for non-data 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.

Introduction to Analytics

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 (January 18, 20, 22, 2021)

• 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 (January 25, 27, 29, 2021)

• Consistency of process through measuring variability
• Distinguish correlation from causation for better insight
• Variables and relationships relevant to business problems

Analytics & Leadership

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 (February 1, 3, 5, 2021)

• Pair your business expertise with data science’s capabilities
• Identify the best corporate analytical strategy for success
• Overcome communication barriers

Negotiating and Influencing Skills (February 8, 10, 12, 2021)

• Influence people on the conversational or interpersonal level
• The art and science of negotiating
• Attain win/win outcomes with conflict resolution

Business Insights with Data

“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 (February 17, 19, 22, 2021)

• 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 (February 24, 26, March 1, 2021)

• Ask the right questions to reveal patterns and trends
• Illustrate actionable insights with data visualizations
• Empower decision makers with management dashboards

Managing Data

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 (March 3, 5, 8, 2021)

• Modern macro and micro drivers for effective data governance
• Organizational alignment and cross-functional engagement
• Internal/external roles and responsibilities

Overview of Databases and Big Data Tools (March 10, 12, 17, 2021)

• 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

Data Science in Action

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 (March 19, 22, 24, 2021)

• 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 (March 26, 29, 31, 2021)

• The difference between supervised and unsupervised learning
• Common and useful data science algorithms in practice today
• Technologies most useful in enabling workplace data science

Digital Transformation

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 (April 7, 9, 12, 2021)

• 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 (April 14, 16, 19, 2021)

• Create organizational value through internal design thinking
• Frame internal challenges to deliver new benefits
• Apply design thinking through an analytics lens

Capstone Project Presentation

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.

MODULE: April 21, 23, 26, 2021

Participant Profile:

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

Course tuition for the Masters Certificate in Analytics for Leaders includes:

  • program materials and certificate

$10,447.50 ($9,950.00 plus GST) Save $4,750 over the individual module price).
Individual 2-day module: $2,450 + applicable taxes

Team Savings:

  • Save 10% per registrant with a group registration: 3 or more people from the same organization registering at the same time.
  • Seating is limited so register today! Please fill out the online registration form and select 10% group discount as the payment option.

*Discounts cannot be combined with any other discount or special offer.

Cancellations
A full refund can be issued for written cancellations received a minimum of 21 days before the program start date. Cancellations received with less than 21 days notice will be refunded less a $1000 administration fee.

David Elsner, MBA
David is President of DHE Consulting, where he leverages over 20 years of experience working with leading organizations across industries, helping guide them to make use of their data assets and providing solution implementation.

Victor Garcia
Victor is the Managing Director of ABC Live Corporation, where his focus is helping clients develop, implement and sustain business strategy, transformation, governance, operational plans and emerging technologies. Areas of specialization include data analytics, visual analytics, artificial intelligence, intelligent infrastructure.

George Georgopoulos, PhD
George is the York Senior Fellow Scholar at the University of Toronto. His research is in the area of Business Statistics, Finance, and Business Economics Strategy. He has experience working with various governments regarding Statistical Analysis including the Governments of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, Bolivia and Canada.

Diana Kawarsky, MA, CPP
Diana specializes in business communications for Schulich’s Executive Education Centre and is a facilitator, adult educator, coach and management consultant with Fortune 500 companies. With almost 20-years experience, she is a specialist in facilitating learning for professionals to hone their interpersonal and intrapersonal skill sets.

Keith Loo
Keith is a scale-up advisor and venture builder who advises businesses on their technology, revenue, and go-to-market strategies. He is involved in the Canadian tech start-up community. He has over 20 years of product and business experience with high profile companies and was cofounder and Chief Revenue Officer of CTO Boost, Canada’s first fractional CTO service.

Tarun Rihal, MBA, MSc, SSBB
Tarun is a data science manager in Ontario’s public service with more than 10 years of experience growing capacity for data science, management, and analytics. He specializes in helping organizations develop data science strategies that maximize return on-investment by targeting high-value insight generation.

Eugene Roman, BA, MBA, CPA
Eugene is Principle at Design AI Ltd., advising companies on digital sustainability and unlocking moneyballs. In 2015, Eugene was named CIO of the Year by RIS News and Canada’s CIO of the Year (Private Sector) by Information Technology Association of Canada.

Hemant Sangwan, PhD
Hemant is a Professor of Marketing at Seneca College and is affiliated with the Master in Business Analytics program and Schulich Executive Education Centre. He has 12-years experience in management consulting, marketing research, and economics and policy research in leading consulting firms.

Shane Saunderson, MBA
Shane Saunderson is an experienced management consultant, a seasoned entrepreneur, and Design Thinking expert. Part engineer, part businessman, and part creative, Shane is currently completing a PhD at the University of Toronto on the psychological and organizational implications of automation technologies (such as robotics and AI) as they become further embedded them into our workplaces and lives.

Catherine (Cat) Truxillo, PhD
Cat is Director, Advanced Analytics Education at SAS Institute, and an award-winning trainer with over 25-years experience consulting and teaching in many industries. She is a vibrant and energetic speaker, and her students say she has a gift for breaking complex topics down to manageable bits.

Attendees to this program are entitled to 84 Professional Development Units (PDUs) from the Project Management Institute (PMI)® upon completion

14 PDU – PMI Technical
14 PDU – PMI Leadership
56 PDU – PMI Strategic

“It’s critical for executives and leaders today to have a good understanding of data and analytics beyond just using the buzzwords. This program gives participants a well rounded perspective of the subject and positions them to have more influence in changing or transforming their organizations with data. Living outside of the GTA, the program’s flexible schedule was great in allowing me to learn a lot of content without being away from home or the office for an extended period of time.”

“Excellent course with lot of insights on how to manage the Analytics project efficiently and effectively.”