Statistical Methods and Data Mining

Milestone One Guidelines and Rubric The final project for this course is the creation of a statistical analysis report. Each day, management professionals are faced with multiple decisions affecting various aspects of the operation. The ability to use data to drive decisions is an essential skill that is useful in any facet of an operation. The dynamic environment offers daily challenges that require the talents of the operations manager; working in this field is exciting and rewarding. In Milestone One, you will submit a paper that describes the scenario provided in the final project case study, identifies quantifiable factors that may affect operational performance, develops a problem statement, and proposes a strategy for resolving a company’s problem.  Read the Brief Case on pages 685 and 686, of Chapter 19  Review the StatCrunch resource in MyStatLab. You will access the QSO 510 data set, save to your computer, and upload the QSO 510 data set into StatCrunch. Here is a resource to access StatCrunch tutorials.  You will calculate the central tendency for the dependent variable, develop a histogram of the gift amount and develop scatterplots for the gift amount for each independent variable.  You can save your calculations. Here is a PDF with the directions for saving, copying, printing, and downloading results. In Module Three, you will submit your introduction and analysis plan, which are critical elements I and II of the final project. You will submit a 3- to 4-page paper that describes the scenario provided in the case study, identifies quantifiable factors that may affect operational performance, develops a problem statement, and proposes a strategy for resolving a company’s problem. Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed: I. Introduction to the problem: A. Provide a concise description of the scenario that you will be analyzing. The following questions might help you describe the scenario: What is the type of organization identified in the scenario? What is the organization’s history and problem identified in the scenario? II. Create an analysis plan to guide your analysis and decision making: In this section you will review the data set to inform the statistical method that will be used. To inform your responses in this section, calculate the central tendency of the dependent variable, develop a histogram of the gift amount and develop scatterplots for the gift amount for each independent variable. A. Identify any quantifiable factors that may be affecting the performance of operational processes. B. Develop a problem statement that addresses the given problem in the scenario and contains quantifiable measures. C. Propose a strategy that addresses the problem of the organization in the given case study. Guidelines for Submission: Your paper must be submitted as a 3- to 4-page Microsoft Word document with double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, one-inch margins. Sources should be cited according to APA style. Rubric Critical Elements Proficient (100%) Needs Improvement (70%) Not Evident (0%) Value Introduction: Description of the Scenario Concisely and accurately describes the scenario Describes the scenario but description is not concise or contains inaccuracies Does not describe the scenario 20 Analysis Plan: Factors Identifies quantifiable factors that may be affecting the performance of operational processes and supports claims with explanations Identifies quantifiable factors that may be affecting the performance of operational processes, but identification is not supported with explanations or is cursory Does not identify quantifiable factors that may be affecting the performance of operational processes 30 Analysis Plan: Problem Statement Develops a single sentence problem statement appropriate to the scenario that addresses the given problem and contains quantifiable measures Develops a problem statement appropriate to the scenario that addresses the given problem, but statement does not contain quantifiable measures or is cursory or inappropriate Does not develop a single sentence problem statement appropriate to the scenario that addresses the given problem 30 Analysis Plan: Strategy Proposes a strategy that addresses the problem of the company Proposes a strategy but strategy either does not address the problem or strategy is not feasible Does not propose a strategy that addresses the problem of the company 10 Articulation of Response Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas 10 Earned Total 100%