Comcast Analytics Director: “Choose Your Sandbox”

It doesn’t take long to realize that Yasmine Ndassa, PhD, Senior Director of Business Process Analytics at Comcast, is a born storyteller. Speaking to a crowd of graduate and undergraduate students in LeBow’s analytics programs, Ndassa shared her know-how about making smarter decisions using data. “I can easily tell you what happened yesterday and today; but using data, I can tell you what might happen tomorrow.” Positioned at the intersection of media and technology, Comcast measures the customer experience by asking questions and referring to the data to determine how to address them.

Ndassa presented a list of rules on metrics, including knowing the audience, understanding the concept of precision versus accuracy, and connecting the dots to tell a story. “It’s one thing to know the data; it’s another to know how to connect it to everything else.”

Her advice to students? Know why analytical insight matters. Use data to drive conversations. Use predictive analytics to become proactive rather than being reactive. And start with the end in mind. “At the end of the day, your role is to present the data for a decision based on actual evidence,” said Ndassa. “The beauty of data is that you can apply it everywhere. Choose your sandbox.”