Decision Foundations & Diagnostic Analytics
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Decision Foundations & Diagnostic Analytics
This course is part of AI-Powered Decision Intelligence: Data to Strategic Insights Specialization
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What you'll learn
Apply decision frameworks and expected utility analysis to evaluate multi-scenario business cases and recommend evidence-based strategic options.
Identify cognitive biases in completed business decisions and design repeatable debiasing checklists for analytics review workflows.
Design and optimize KPI dashboards using visual-design best practices and evaluate descriptive metrics against real stakeholder questions.
Apply root-cause analysis techniques — including 5 Whys and Pareto analysis — to diagnose operational problems and validate findings with data.
Skills you'll gain
- Risk Analysis
- Business Risk Management
- Analytical Skills
- Root Cause Analysis
- Descriptive Statistics
- Dashboard Creation
- Descriptive Analytics
- Problem Solving
- Data Visualization
- Analytics
- Decision Intelligence
- Risk Management
- Decision Making
- Systems Thinking
- Strategic Decision-Making
- Data-Driven Decision-Making
- Analysis
- Data Presentation
- Strategic Thinking
Tools you'll learn
Details to know
April 2026
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There are 13 modules in this course
Transform the way you make decisions at work. In this course, you will build a powerful combination of analytical and diagnostic skills — learning to apply decision frameworks, identify cognitive biases, design clear KPI dashboards, and uncover the root causes behind business problems.
You will work with real-world scenarios drawn from strategy, operations, and performance management. By the end, you will be able to structure ambiguous problems using frameworks like OODA and Cynefin, evaluate risk through utility curves, design dashboards that communicate insights efficiently, and apply root-cause analysis techniques like the 5 Whys and Pareto analysis to validate findings with data. This course is built for analysts, managers, and business professionals who want to move beyond instinct-driven decisions and build a repeatable, evidence-based approach to strategic thinking. Every skill you practice connects directly to the decisions you face on the job.
Apply expected utility calculations to multi-scenario business cases and recommend optimal strategic choices.
What's included
1 video1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab
1 video•Total 3 minutes
- Building Expected Utility Models in Excel•3 minutes
1 reading•Total 12 minutes
- Expected Utility Theory: Mathematical Foundation for Strategic Decisions•12 minutes
1 assignment•Total 6 minutes
- Expected Utility Theory Mastery Check•6 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 20 minutes
- Market Entry Expected Utility Analysis•20 minutes
Evaluate organizational risk preferences by plotting utility curves and interpreting their strategic implications.
What's included
3 videos1 assignment
3 videos•Total 14 minutes
- The Million-Dollar Question: Why Risk Tolerance Shapes Strategy•4 minutes
- Utility Curves: Visualizing Risk Preferences in Strategic Decisions•7 minutes
- Building Utility Curves for Strategic Risk Assessment•4 minutes
1 assignment•Total 7 minutes
- Risk Preference and Utility Curve Analysis•7 minutes
Apply OODA or Cynefin frameworks to structure unstructured problems and evaluate framework suitability for different contexts.
What's included
3 readings1 assignment
3 readings•Total 36 minutes
- Podcast: OODA and Cynefin: Strategic Frameworks for Complex Decision-Making•6 minutes
- Framework Implementation: From Theory to Strategic Practice•10 minutes
- Strategic Framework Selection and Implementation•20 minutes
1 assignment•Total 8 minutes
- Strategic Framework Application and Selection•8 minutes
Evaluate alternative decision frameworks for suitability using contextual criteria and strategic alignment principles.
What's included
2 videos1 reading2 assignments
2 videos•Total 8 minutes
- The Framework Dilemma: When Good Tools Give Bad Results•4 minutes
- Framework Comparison Matrix: Systematic Evaluation in Practice•4 minutes
1 reading•Total 11 minutes
- Framework Evaluation Criteria: Matching Tools to Context•11 minutes
2 assignments•Total 32 minutes
- Decision Theory and Strategic Frameworks: Comprehensive Course Assessment•25 minutes
- Framework Evaluation and Selection Mastery•7 minutes
This course objective equips learners to critically examine past business decisions, uncover hidden cognitive biases that shaped outcomes, and recommend practical debiasing techniques to improve judgment, decision quality, and future organizational performance.
What's included
1 video2 readings2 assignments
1 video•Total 6 minutes
- Systematic Post-Mortem Analysis for Bias Detection•6 minutes
2 readings•Total 18 minutes
- The Science of Cognitive Biases in Business Analytics•12 minutes
- Podcast: Real-World Bias Detection Stories from Analytics Teams•6 minutes
2 assignments•Total 26 minutes
- Conduct Your Own Decision Post-Mortem Analysis•20 minutes
- Cognitive Bias Detection Skills Check•6 minutes
Design and implement bias-mitigation checklists for recurring reviews and pilot in workplace meetings.
What's included
2 videos3 assignments
2 videos•Total 10 minutes
- Why Systematic Debiasing Transforms Decision Quality•3 minutes
- Framework for Designing Effective Bias-Mitigation Checklists•7 minutes
3 assignments•Total 45 minutes
- Graded Quiz: Cognitive Bias Analysis and Mitigation •20 minutes
- Design and Pilot Your Bias-Mitigation Checklist•18 minutes
- Bias-Mitigation Framework Mastery Check•7 minutes
Learn to generate descriptive statistics with data quality flagging for robust analytics foundations.
What's included
2 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab
2 videos•Total 6 minutes
- Why Data Quality Matters in Dashboard Creation•2 minutes
- Generating Descriptive Statistics with Quality Flagging•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Essential Data Quality Checks and Descriptive Statistics•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 6 minutes
- Data Quality Assessment and Descriptive Statistics•6 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 20 minutes
- Complete Data Quality Assessment and Statistical Profiling•20 minutes
Master layout and visual design principles to rebuild cluttered dashboards with measurable improvements.
What's included
2 readings2 assignments
2 readings•Total 11 minutes
- Data-Ink Ratio and Visual Design Principles•5 minutes
- Podcast: Psychology of Dashboard Design: Cognitive Load and Visual Hierarchy•6 minutes
2 assignments•Total 25 minutes
- Dashboard Redesign with Measurable Data-Ink Ratio Improvement•18 minutes
- Dashboard Design Optimization and Data-Ink Ratio•7 minutes
Learn to evaluate dashboard usage patterns and identify low-value elements for strategic optimization.
What's included
2 videos1 reading1 assignment
2 videos•Total 8 minutes
- The Hidden Story in Dashboard Analytics•2 minutes
- Understanding Dashboard Usage Analytics and Performance Metrics•6 minutes
1 reading•Total 11 minutes
- Systematic Dashboard Usage Analysis Methodology•11 minutes
1 assignment•Total 8 minutes
- Dashboard Usage Analytics and Performance Optimization•8 minutes
Synthesize analysis findings into strategic recommendations that align with stakeholder decision-making needs.
What's included
2 videos1 reading3 assignments
2 videos•Total 7 minutes
- From Analysis to Strategic Impact•2 minutes
- Evaluating Metric Sufficiency and Proposing Enhancements•5 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Strategic Metric Selection and Stakeholder Alignment•10 minutes
3 assignments•Total 54 minutes
- Comprehensive Dashboard Design and Analytics Mastery Assessment•30 minutes
- Comprehensive Stakeholder-Aligned Metric Enhancement Strategy•17 minutes
- Strategic Metric Evaluation and Enhancement•7 minutes
Learners will apply the 5 Whys and Pareto analysis to identify dominant drivers of cost-overrun incidents and validate findings with data.
What's included
3 videos1 reading2 assignments
3 videos•Total 14 minutes
- Why Root Cause Analysis Matters in Data Analysis•3 minutes
- The 5 Whys Framework and Pareto Analysis Fundamentals•7 minutes
- Building Effective Pareto Charts for Cost Analysis•4 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Root Cause Analysis Methodology and Data Integration•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 22 minutes
- Real-World Cost Overrun Investigation•16 minutes
- 5 Whys and Pareto Analysis Assessment•6 minutes
Learners will evaluate multiple RCA techniques (Ishikawa, RCA tree) on a sample issue and document the most explanatory approach.
What's included
1 video2 readings3 assignments
1 video•Total 3 minutes
- Building Comprehensive Ishikawa Diagrams for Complex Problems•3 minutes
2 readings•Total 19 minutes
- Comparative Analysis of RCA Techniques: Ishikawa, RCA Trees, and 5 Whys•12 minutes
- Podcast: Expert Insights: Selecting RCA Techniques for Maximum Impact•7 minutes
3 assignments•Total 51 minutes
- Course-Level Root Cause Analysis Assessment•25 minutes
- Comparative RCA Technique Analysis•19 minutes
- RCA Technique Evaluation Assessment•7 minutes
You will explore how generative AI tools can accelerate decision frameworks, data analysis, and root-cause diagnostics — and practice the critical validation habits that keep AI-assisted outputs accurate and trustworthy.
What's included
1 video3 readings2 assignments
1 video•Total 6 minutes
- AI-Augmented Decision Analysis Workflow•6 minutes
3 readings•Total 22 minutes
- AI as Your Decision Analysis Copilot•2 minutes
- AI Tools for Decision and Diagnostic Analytics•10 minutes
- AI Limitations and Human Oversight Requirements•10 minutes
2 assignments•Total 20 minutes
- HANDS-ON: AI-Assisted Analysis with Validation•15 minutes
- Knowledge Check: AI-Augmented Decision Analytics•5 minutes
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University at Buffalo
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- Status: Free Trial
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University of Maryland, College Park
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- Status: Free TrialE
Edureka
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