The summary.
WHAT MOST SMALL BUSINESSES NEED
A spreadsheet and the reporting already built into their systems.
A tool applied to inconsistent records produces inconsistent answers, faster. Fix collection first.
WHAT TO LEARN, IN ORDER
Spreadsheet structure and pivot summaries, conditional totals and lookups, simple charting.
That covers the large majority of useful business analysis.
WHAT MATTERS MORE THAN TECHNIQUE
Asking good questions and checking your own work.
Most analytical errors are unchecked assumptions, not technique failures.
DEFINE YOUR METRICS IN WRITING
When an order is placed, delivered, invoiced or paid are four different dates, and which one a metric uses changes the answer.
If a definition changes, restate the history or the trend is meaningless.
DOCUMENT SO SOMEONE ELSE COULD REPRODUCE IT
A figure nobody can trace is a figure nobody should rely on.
Test it by having someone try to follow your method.
ON WORKING COPIES
Exports containing customer data accumulate on devices and in mailboxes, and each is as sensitive as the source system.
Store them in one place and delete them when finished.
THE HABIT THAT KEEPS ANALYSIS HONEST
State what would change your mind before you look, and report the findings you did not want.
