Project Management Fundamentals for Data Analysts

Want this for free? Subscribe to my newsletter https://oscarbaruffa.com/newsletter/

“This is going to take WAY longer than I thought!”

How many times have you said this in the past week? The past month? The past year?

Why’s it so hard to estimate how long a task will take? How many people it’ll take? Whether you’re able to add it to your to-do’s?

Almost every project runs over deadline. Why does this happen despite everyone’s best efforts? What’s going on? Should we just shrug our shoulders and accept “that’s just the world of modern work”?

I don’t think so. Not at all.

In Project Management Fundamentals for Data Analysts, I’ve boiled the concepts down to the bare essentials complete with illustrations and examples.

Even if you wish to never read another word on the topic, these concepts can be used to great effect on their own. It’ll also provide a solid foundation if you want to dive deeper into more formal courses or sophisticated theory.

You can plan for the curve-balls that come your way when managing a project. It’s possible to develop a sense of intuition about whether a project is about to be delayed or how to solve problems as they arise. Even better than that, it’s possible to plan projects that head off many of the setbacks that others consider to be an unfathomable, inevitable occurrence.

Whether you’re managing a project, or are part of one, there are fundamental principles at play. Once you learn about them, you’ll spot them happening all around you. I’ll bet that if you check your inbox right now – there’s at least one message that’s about to affect the Lead Time, Critical Path, Effort, Overhead or Capacity of the projects you’re juggling. And Data Analysts end up having to do a lot of juggling.

Just like you need to learn fundamental concepts in maths or physics to extrapolate solutions to more complex problems, so too will learning about the fundamental concepts of project management help you for the rest of your career. Frankly, as astonishing as it is that we send high schoolers out into the world without any knowledge of how taxes work, bills, credit or managing a household budget, neither do most Data Analysts get ANY training on how to manage projects. None at all. That’s really unfortunate given how central data is becoming to many organizations’ current and future operating models, with data analysts needing the skills to manage projects of growing scope and complexity.

Learning is a lifelong exercise, but I don’t think many Project Management resources lend themselves as a good introduction to the topic. Courses are quite long, the material a bit dry or have a lot of advanced stuff packaged up with the basics to justify high price tags.

What if I’m not happy with the book? Can I get a refund?

Yes of course! Every purchase has a 30-day money back guarantee, no questions asked!

Is this book only for data analysts?

It’s geared towards any professional working with data. The principles apply to any role, but many of the examples I’ve used relate to the typical work of an analyst.

Is this book for experienced data analysts? New analysts?

Both :). Newer analysts will benefit A LOT from this book – I really think every analyst should read it. If you’re more experienced professional, at the very least you’ll either learn one or two new things, solidify concepts you’ve experienced or at the very least, it will give you vocabulary and practices to help coach others around you.

Is there a print version?

Not right now but if there’s a lot of interest then I’ll certainly consider it. Let me know at oscar@oscarbaruffa.com if this is something you’d like!

Reduced pricing

If you're located in a Low Income or Lower to Middle Income Country, please see the reduced pricing on this page.