The Modeling Agency
Treating Antlodigiphobia

"Successful analytics in the Big Data era does not start with data and software. It starts with practical training and targeted strategy," says Eric A. King, CEO of The Modeling Agency, LLC, a Pittsburghbased analytics training and consulting firm.

King sees a 'chronic dysfunction' between practitioners and leadership within organizations as they fail to speak a common language around analytics and grasp the true potential that lies in harnessing the power of predictive modeling. Most data analytic operations still involve ad-hoc, disparate and uncoordinated analytic exercises that often produce perfectly valid models but fail miserably at project level. "Overall, there is a lack of an organizational analytic charter, measured capabilities, resource assessment, prescriptive targets, project definition and strategic oversight. Thus, arriving at truly impactful projects proves to be far more a matter of soft skills than technical proficiency," says King.

He believes most of the professionals who suffer from antlodigiphobia (fear of flood of data) also experience peniagnosiophobia (fear of lack of knowledge). These data-rich yet information-poor organizations are therefore highly motivated to engage in predictive modeling. But they typically do not know where to begin in establishing an analytic practice that is truly insightful, purposeful and actionable.

"And the shortcomings are not where you’d think. You don't need a bench of advanced mathematicians and data scientists to make this work. Modern software handles the complexity in ways that allow common business practitioners to create highly effective models. But they require an overarching strategic framework, process training and skill reinforcement." King exclaims, "Organizations can set the right course not by outsourcing each analytic task, but by establishing their own agile predictive modeling factory with existing staff as a residual cost-saving or revenue-generating function within their overall BI practice."

King's company, TMA provides its clients hands-on, vendor-neutral instruction and consultative guidance on actionable data analytics through the development of formal strategies, techniques, resources and tailored project design. It delivers public classroom and synchronous on-line training in data analytics, predictive modeling and data mining. It also enables comprehensive analytic capability assessments, project prioritization, process road mapping, and organizational charters for analytics. Delivery is reinforced through guided mentorship and collaborative implementation to ensure full client ownership of the resulting processes.

"The Modeling Agency's courses, facilitated by highly seasoned consultants, teach practitioners and leaders how to transform insight from their data into analytic results that are measurable and understandable," explains King. "TMA's instructors guide attendees through the natural messiness of data analytics to uncover what truly works in predictive modeling, without the bias or limitation that comes with vendor-specific training." Beyond the training, TMA guides its clients to establish a self-sustainable analytics practice through a progressive series of implementation workshops and structured remote guidance.

The company has clients from a wide range of sectors which includes commercial industries focused on customer value optimization to public sector applications in healthcare, audit targeting and fraud detection. Looking ahead, TMA is set to expand its existing client base by taking its new public online training into underserved global markets. TMA will further reduce and simplify its consulting offerings into refined service products that are easier to understand, quantify and to buy. TMA also plans to launch a social media platform, which King believes will demystify the approach to actionable analytics and elevate the company to a leading authority in the analytics market.