Data Handling and Decision Making Essay: Data Gap Analysis

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Data Handling and Decision Making essay. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.

After completing the module, you should be able to:

1. Analyse methods of auditing data holdings and gap identification.

2. Critically analyse theoretical and core processes of data manipulation and mining.

3. Utilise and evaluate basic statistical concepts.

4. Appreciate ethical issues and their importance to data handling and decision making.

5. Develop a practical ability with data analysis and data mining methods to analyse and interpret data sets.

6. Make recommendations based upon the findings from data analysis.

7. Graduate Attribute – Effective Communication

Communicate effectively both, verbally and in writing, using a range of media widely used in relevant professional context.

Maximum word count: 1,000 words 

Data Gap Analysis

Data gap analysis can be referred to as the process of inspecting an existing or planned big data infrastructure with the aim of identifying issues, risks and inefficiencies associated with the use of data in organisation’s operations. Such analysis requires an integrated view on technical, managerial and legal aspects of organisational data. This activity represents a key initial step towards implementation of data-driven business decision-making.

For this assignment, you are required to demonstrate the data gap analysis for a case study of your choice.

Case study choice. You are encouraged to relate this assignment to your workplace, so that the outcomes can immediately be applied to improving its data analytics processes. However, if you have no immediate workplace to analyse or its use for the assignment purposes is not possible, then you have an option of adopting another project (such as a commercial start-up, community project or social enterprise) which would take advantage of data driven decision-making. Either an existing or prospective project can be discussed. In the latter case, the data infrastructure might not exist yet, however, you have an opportunity to propose its design and analyse it for any potential gaps.

NB1: You can use any publicly available datasets, e.g. historical data or national statistics (a sample list of public data sources can be found on the News and FAQs forum of the module). However, these datasets must be applied to in-depth analysis of your workplace or another specific project or activity which you are fully familiar with. Generic analysis of any third-party company is not acceptable for this assignment.

NB2: Organisation name, other business or stakeholder particulars and any personally identifiable information can be fully anonymised.

NB3: If you are re-sitting this assessment for the first time, you may re-work your original submission if you wish.

Perform data gap analysis for an organisation or project of your choice. Your response should include:

• Brief background to the organisation or project in question.
• Identification of the key data sources and datasets available to the organisation.
• Inspection of data integrity and current or potential gaps in data analytics and data protection.

Using the findings of Task 1.1, recommend improvements to the organisational data analytics processes. These should be centred around the following:

• Reorganisation of the current data-driven processes to streamline and enhance the data analytics and decision making.

• Roadmap to the development or enhancement of the big data infrastructure.

• Compliance aspects of the proposed changes in data analytics.

Explain how the proposed big data analytics can be used in the organisational decision making. This includes the following:

• Identification of a range of business decisions that can be supported by the enhancements in data analytics proposed in Task 1.2.

• Formulation of a single decision of your choice out of those identified, in terms of the related business question to be solved, involved stakeholders and data available for its support. (You will then be required to analyse this decision systematically in Part 2 of this Assignment.)