What the Heck is an Analyst?

I am one of the thousands of analysts that have choked on a date when asked what I do for a living. From my experience, analysts tend to stumble through a vague answer, eventually lamely ending it with some form of “I can’t talk about it.” It’s easy answer, and makes one look sexily mysterious. I, on the other hand, think this is often an excuse to cover up the truth – it’s frustratingly hard to define what an analyst actually does.

Sure you can give individual examples: “I figure out how radar systems work” or “I track counterfeit money.” However, what about analysis as a generic terms?

“I analyze things for a living.”

Not particularly helpful. It’s much easier to understand, for example, what a heart surgeon does:

“I perform heart surgeries for a living.”

The difficultly in defining what an analyst does is a key reason why it’s so hard to teach. What do you look for in a new analyst? Smart? Well versed on specific topics? Novel ideas? Creative? A good writer? Language or technical skills?

Critical skills for analysts are as broad as they are vague.

The best definition of analysis I have found (I stole this from someone but don't remember who) is “taking individual pieces of information and creating something greater than the sum of its parts.” In other words, an analyst draws useful conclusions from imperfect data with the goal of providing policymakers with additional tools to make more informed decisions.

As a fun example, imagine you are at a bar with a friend and he/she is having trouble deciding which beer to order. Neither you, nor your friend has tried any of the beers. However, you happen to be a beer connoisseur and want to help your friend make an informed decision (pick a beer they would like).

In this case, you are the analyst and your friend is the policymaker. As an expert on beer, your friend asks you to tell him/her about the different beers. Your friend's request defines the requirements. You then spent time considering what pieces of information (indicators) may help your friend make an informed decision. For instance, what types of beers are on tap? Are their tasting notes? How much does each beer cost? How alcoholic are the beers? Are these well-known national brands or craft beers?

You may ask for clarification on what beers or characteristics they like/dislike to help narrow down the selection. Finally, you summarize your findings and explain to your friend the important characteristics of each beer. Remember, you are making conclusions based on imperfect data – you have never tried the beers!

Its important to note that I did not say recommend a beer. As an analyst, your job is not to tell your friend what to order. Its to help them make a more inform decision. In practice, their is a fine line between recommending policy actions and influencing policy by giving policymakers the tools they need to make inform decisions.