My first introduction to this methodology came from the book ‘The Art of Statistics’ by David Spiegelhalter.

The problem solving methodology used in statistics to reach conclusions. The steps include,

  1. Define the Problem: Identify what the problem is - try to define the problem as an independent question. What are the ways we can answer this question? Is there a worthwhile outcome from answering this question?
  2. Sketch the Plan: What do we measure so that we can solve the question? How do we measure and collect this data?
  3. Structure the Data: How do we structure and clean the data?
  4. Run an Analysis: Identify the patterns, find the best way to communicate and understand the data via graphs.
  5. Conclusion: Get an answer to the question, identify the next question that links the current question.