Analytics blogger – Journalist or personal diary?

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|July 31, 2012

There are several bloggers like me who write about the topics of analytics and enterprise risk and performance management (ERM / EPM). What are our writing styles? Some do a deep dive into the details of equations and algorithms of analytics or of the various methodologies like strategic balanced scorecards [...]

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Analytics in a “city that works”

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|July 17, 2012

This is a difficult blog for me to write. Why? Because I grew up in Chicago that is known for being the “city that works” which means rarely being dysfunctional. However this past week I was on a business trip in Chicago’s rival New York City and guess what? NYC [...]

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Analytics admittance. Adults unaccompanied by minors.

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|July 10, 2012

  The Motion Picture Association of America’s film rating system rates a film’s content suitability for variuos audiences. For example, A PG-13 rating requires children age 13 or under to be accompanied by a parent or adult guardian if some content is deemed inappropriate. Let’s consider a similar rating system for [...]

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Why Will Analytics Be the Next Competitive Edge?

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|July 3, 2012

  Bob Thompson, the CEO and founder of the popular website CustomerThink.com has published an e-book, Profiting Big Data – 10 BIG Ideas, compiling ten articles from authors. I am honored to have my article as Chapter 1. You can download the e-book for free by clicking on the book title [...]

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Board of directors’ dashboards – Navigation or naiveté?

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|June 26, 2012

Have you ever wondered about how well boards of directors do their job? I have. And I do not have a good answer. But I was stimulated by an article written by Donald Delves, President of The Delves Group, titled “Dashboards for Boards.” Ever since the Enron meltdown and numerous [...]

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Analytics is like a dentist. It’s all in the inside.

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|June 19, 2012

My cousin Chris is a dentist. We are the same age, and we lived together when we were both in graduate school at Northwestern University. Chris was in dental school, and I was earning my MBA. Chris once said to me that dentistry is all on the inside. Of course [...]

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Intelligent people but stupid choices – try using analytics!

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|June 12, 2012

My previous blog on June 5 was about horse racing’s prestigious Triple Crown race and its final leg, the Belmont Stakes. I posted my blog before the favored horse, I’ll Have Another, was scratched due to a leg injury. For gamblers who would likely to have bet on I’ll Have [...]

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Horse racing’s Triple Crown – just like business analysts*

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|June 5, 2012

The Kentucky Derby and Preakness horseraces, the first and second legs of the USA’s prestigious Triple Crown races, have been run. The winner of both races, I’ll Have Another, will be trying to win horseracing’s famous Triple Crown by winning the Belmont, but he will need to again outrun the [...]

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Analytics and EPM – You’ve read me, now hear me

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|May 29, 2012

I wrote my first weekly SAS blog in February 2007, almost 5 ½ years ago and have rarely missed a week. So you have read me. In this blog I deviate from the normal for you to hear me. I discuss business analytics and enterprise performance management (EPM).   INFORMS [...]

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Being wrong versus being confused

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|May 22, 2012

Which is worse? Being wrong or being confused? Let’s start with some definitions.  To make a wrong decision means you were mistaken and erroneous. Your decision was incorrect for the problem to be solved or opportunity that could have been realized. (There is also an immoral, unethical, and illegal connotation; [...]

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