Forem: Tracy Michael

The Beginners Guide to understanding Data Analysis

Tracy Michael — Mon, 23 Jun 2025 00:22:44 +0000

So, what exactly is Data Analysis?

Data analysis is the science and systematic process of extracting trends and patterns from a dataset. it involves the cleaning, analyzing, confirmation of hypothesis, interpretation of results and drawing of relevant information from raw data. It is basically our day-to-day data collection of any form of data with a touch of technical analysis to bring out better insights.”

Data analysis is a very crucial tool that allows individuals and organizations make informed decisions from a dataset, by predicting trends and patterns, which then improves the efficiency of an organization. It is the backbone of strategic planning in businesses, governments, and other organizations.

Data analysists are in high demand due to the rise of “Big Data”, the storage of large quantities of these data in data warehouses and a database has increased the need to apply data analysis techniques to generate insights about volumes of data too large to be manipulated by tools and software of low information-processing capacity.

One simple example of Data analysis is seen when we take any decision in our day-to-day life is by thinking about what happened last time or what will happen by choosing that particular decision. This is nothing but analyzing our past or future and making decisions based on it. For that, we gather memories of our past or dreams of our future. So that is nothing but data analysis. Now same thing analyst does for business purposes, is called Data Analysis.

The Different Types of Data analysis.

Descriptive Analysis (what happened): This type of analysis describes raw data and make it interpretable; it shows you what has already happened. It's all about summarizing raw data into something easy to understand. This type of analysis is used to identify patterns and trends over time.
Diagnostic Analysis (why did it happen): This type of analysis goes Depper to determine why something happened. If a new problem arrives in your business process, you can use this Analysis to find similar patterns of that problem.
Predictive Analysis (what will happen): This analysis looks at trends from the past to help you guess what might come next. This type of analysis is often used in risk assessment, marketing, and sales forecasting.
Prescriptive Analysis (what should be done): Prescriptive Analysis combines the insight from all previous Analysis to determine which action to take in a current problem or decision. It not only predicts future outcomes but also suggests actions to benefit from these predictions. It uses sophisticated tools and technologies like machine learning and artificial intelligence to recommend decisions.

Different Tools used in Data Analysis.

There are a lot of tools used by a data analyst to process, visualize and interpret data to draw insights, and aid in proper decision making.

Microsoft Excel
Google Sheets
python
R
power Bi
Tablue
fusion chart
looker Bi
plotly

Different file formats in data analysis

CSV (.csv) – Comma-Separated Values

Most common format for storing plain text tabular data.
Easy to open in Excel, Python (pandas), R, etc.

Excel (.xls / .xlsx)

Used for spreadsheets with formulas, charts, and multiple sheets.

XML (.xml) – eXtensible Markup Language

Hierarchical format used for data interchange (e.g., web, databases).

SQL (.sql)

Contains queries to create or extract data from relational databases.

TXT (.txt)

Plain text files. Often used for raw data, logs, or unstructured text.

What then is the role of a Data Analyst

He is meant to clean, collect, analyze and interpret data
visualize the data using charts
Being able to communicate your findings
Make informed decisions
Gain insights and analyze trends
Being able to adapt to the growing market and the changes in the needs of a customer.

The common Mistakes made by a Beginner

Quickness to make money
wanting to learn everything (pick what you want to focus on)
Work more on projects (continuous learning)
Leverage the LinkedIn community (Connect yourself and showcase your growth)
Never stop practicing

How do u get started as a Data Analyst.

Getting started as a data analyst doesn’t require a degree, but it does require a focused skillset, consistent practice, and real-world project experience.
These steps will help you get started

Know and understand the basics

You should have an idea of who and what a data analyst does, it is also important that you understand some core basics which includes familiarizing yourself with statistical concepts (mean, median, mode, standard deviation, correlation, etc.), data types, and data structures, the different analysis types and data analysis process. the Introduction-to-Data-Analytics simplelearn is a good start.
Learn core skills

Data analysis requires proficiency in at least one Tool and programming language. Excel or Google sheets is a good start; You should learn the different functions, how to use pivot tables and conditional formatting to manipulate and clean a data set. How to use python, SQL or R to analyze data, how to use simple data visualization tools like Power BI and Tableau to create interactive dashboards. And how to interpret results and make data driven decisions from you analyzed data.
Enhance Your skills with courses

Ther are a lot of free certified courses you can take to further enhance yourself, some of which are self-paced. Some of these free courses are:

Google Data Analytics Certificate (Coursera)

Kaggle Learn

YouTube channels like Alex the Analyst or Data School

Then there a paid class that can serve as an upgrade for you on; Coursera, Udemy, edx, career principles and so on
Practice, practice and continue to practice

The key to mastering data analysis is practice. Kaggle.com and World Bank provide hands-on experience with real-world data, helping you consolidate your learning and apply your skills. trying small projects like: Analyzing Netflix ratings, Visualizing COVID-19 data and Cleaning messy sales data in Excel can help strengthen your skill.
Create a portfolio

A portfolio will help you showcase your work and what you can do, you can start with 3-5 solid projects that show your different skills. create your portfolio using notion or google docs and post your progress on your LinkedIn account, and Leverage LinkedIn to connect and follow professionals, as well as join communities. Remember that “all achievement is a big achievement

Final Takeaway

Data analysis is more about discovering meaningful insights in data. From cleaning raw data to interpreting results, each step is crucial for informed decision-making. As big data continues to grow, skilled analysts have become increasingly valuable. Mastering the essential tools and techniques opens career opportunities across all industries. Moreover, data analysis is not just about numbers and statistics. It's about asking the right questions, being curious about patterns and trends, and having the courage to make data-driven decisions. It's about telling a story with data, a story that can influence strategies, change perspectives, and drive innovation.
Remember to start small, maintain consistency, and let the data illuminate your path.” every achievement is a big achievement”.

What Do You Think?

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Are you just starting out in data analysis?

What tools or concepts did you find the most challenging or exciting?

Any resources or tips you’d recommend to beginners?

Drop your experiences, questions, or suggestions in the comments below—let’s learn together!

How do you use Trello to manage projects

Tracy Michael — Fri, 20 Jun 2025 07:54:58 +0000

WHAT IS TRELLO

Trello is a useful project management tool that allows users to streamline their projects, it does so with a user-friendly interface that makes task organization simple and intuitive.it is a visual work management tool that empowers teams to ideate, plan, manage, and celebrate their work together in a collaborative, productive, and organized way.
Trello uses boards to represent individual projects. Within these boards you can create lists that signify different stages, giving you a clear path for progression. Every task or idea is then represented as a card, allowing you to easily see what components make up your project.

There are four key components that make up Trello's interface:
-List: keeps cards, or specific tasks or pieces of information, organized in their various stages of progress. Lists can be used to create a workflow where cards are moved across each step in the process from start to finish, or simply act as a place to keep track of ideas and information.

-Board: it represents a place to keep track of information — often for large projects, teams, or workflows. the Trello board is the place to organize tasks, all the little details, and most importantly—collaborate with your colleagues.

-Card this is the smallest but most detailed unit of a board. a Card can be customized to hold a wide variety of useful information by clicking on them. you can Drag and drop cards across a list to show progress. There’s no limit to the number of cards you can add to a board.

-Board menu: this is on the right side of your Trello board this is where the mission control center for your board is located. The menu is where you manage members board permissions, control settings, search cards, enable Power-Ups, and create automations. You can also see all of the activity that has taken place on a board in the menu’s activity feed.

Other terminologies include:
-Labels: these are the Color tags to categorize cards (e.g.; the priority, type, team).
-Checklist: this a to-do list inside a card.
-Members: people assigned to a card or a board.

HOW TO GET STARTED ON TRELLO AS A BEGINNER
STEP 1. Go to Trello on your web browser
STEP 2. sign up with your email, Google or Apple account
STEP 3. Once Logged in you will be taken to the Trello homepage

TO CREATE YOUR OWN BOARD

Click on “Create” on the main menu, this will bring down a drop box
then click on “Create board”.
Name your board (e.g., “My Daily Tasks”).
you can Choose a background color or image (optional).
then Click “Create” to get started

TO ADD LIS TO A BOARD
These are like columns in your board.
Click on “Add a list”, type the name, and hit enter. Most people use: To do, in progress or Done

TO ADD CARD TO A LIST

Each card represents a task or item. Under “To Do”, click “Add a card”.
Type a task (e.g., “Read chapter 3) and click add
Then you can repeat that for each task

CUSTOMIZING YOUR CARD
You can also customize your cards however you want.

When you Click on a card to open it. You’ll see options like:
-Description: Write notes or details.
-Checklist: Add sub-tasks.
-Due Date: Set deadlines.
-Labels: Color-code for priority or categories.
-Attachments: Upload files or links.
-Comments: Leave updates or notes.
you can now move your cards as you progress.
Drag cards from To Do → In Progress → Done as you work on them.

#HOW THEN DO WE USE TRELLO TO MANAGE PRODUCTS
STEP ONE; CREATE YOUR BOARD#

Create a board for your project
When you click create on the top left, you click on “create workspace view “
You can name your project (e.g., Website Redesign, Thesis Writing, Event Planning).
Optionally, choose a team or workspace view if it’s a group project. which means any members of that Workspace can view, join, and edit cards, this is a default setting but if you change your settings to Private view, only members of that specific board can see it. Public boards allow anyone with the link to the board to see it. Public boards are ranked on search engines such as Google, meaning that any information on this specific board will be accessible to anyone on the internet.

STEP TWO: CUSTOMIZE YOUR BOARD
You can customize board to differentiate and reflect your team’s unique personality You can pick one of our basic colors, upload your own personal image*, You can always change a board background at any time from the board’s menu.

STEP THREE: START COLLABORATION
Invite members to the board so that they can be assigned to tasks and collaborate on the board.

From the top of the board, click “Invite” or “share” and select a member of your team to add to your board, or invite members by their email address or name.
You can get an easy-to-share invite link to your board at the bottom of the share menu. Drop the special link through email it to external stakeholders to start collaborating.
You can set membership permission; Set member permissions to define roles transparently. Member permissions give you control to give the right access to the right person.
There is the Normal member, the Observer and the Admin.

STEP FOUR: BUILDING A WORKFLOW
The lists in Trello as said in earlier texts, help you organize your cards by status. This helps in establishing a workflow for how the team would work. Each List represents a stage in your project workflow. You can fully customize these based on your needs.

Click "Add a list" to add your first list to your board and title it to represent the stage or information that it will hold.
You can add as many lists as possible you need to build a good workflow.

STEP FIVE: CREATING TASK AND CARDS
The cards are used to represent tasks and ideas. Cards can be customized to hold a wide variety of useful information by clicking on them. Drag and drop cards across lists to show progress of the team. There’s no limit to the number of cards you can add to a board.

Click on “add card” directly on your list to add a card to the table. Keep it short to make it easy to scan and to see each status of the card on the board.
You can also Assign Cards to Team Members;
Click on a card.
Use the “Members” button to assign tasks to people.
Each member will get notified and can comment or update the card.
You can then Add Due Dates and Deadlines to your card.
Open the card
Click “Due Date”
You can also choose the deadline
You can also enable Calendar view with a Power-Up (very helpful for timeline management).
Labels are also very useful in your organization it helps you categorize tasks at a glance. You can customize colors and names.
Add Attachments from both your computer and many cloud storage services like Dropbox, Google Drive, Box, and OneDrive.
Cover: Make your board extra organized and visual. By adding covers and colors to your cards you gain visual context and have the ability to provide additional callouts and details.
Comments can be added to cards when communicating and collaborating with team members, like giving feedback or updates.

From this we can see how easy it is to use Trello to organize our projects, including those for school, work or an organization and stay up to date while keeping everything in one place. With its many features and functions, making project management and everyday task a breeze

I am open to criticism and feedback as this is my first project and publish. please feel free to reach out. thank you.