D596 The Data Analytics Journey —Task 1 The Data Analytics Life
Cycle and Real-World Application (2026-2027) Western Governors
University
Brennen Goode
The Data Analytics Journey — D596
Task 1
The Data Analytics Life Cycle and Real-World Application
A. The Seven Phases of the Data Analytics Life Cycle
The data analytics life cycle includes seven important steps that help organizations go
from identifying a problem to finding a data-driven solution.
1. Business Understanding
This step focuses on identifying the real business problem. You need to
understand the organization’s goals and what success looks like for the business
you're working for.
Example: A hospital wants to reduce patient discharge wait times.
How to gain expertise: Practice active listening, learn about the business, and
ask thoughtful questions. You can also gain insight by reading industry reports,
attending stakeholder meetings, or working closely with business leaders.
2. Data Acquisition
This is where data is collected from various sources like internal databases,
APIs, or external files.
Example: Pulling patient time logs from hospital systems.
, How to gain expertise: Learn SQL and Python for data retrieval. Familiarity with
Cycle and Real-World Application (2026-2027) Western Governors
University
Brennen Goode
The Data Analytics Journey — D596
Task 1
The Data Analytics Life Cycle and Real-World Application
A. The Seven Phases of the Data Analytics Life Cycle
The data analytics life cycle includes seven important steps that help organizations go
from identifying a problem to finding a data-driven solution.
1. Business Understanding
This step focuses on identifying the real business problem. You need to
understand the organization’s goals and what success looks like for the business
you're working for.
Example: A hospital wants to reduce patient discharge wait times.
How to gain expertise: Practice active listening, learn about the business, and
ask thoughtful questions. You can also gain insight by reading industry reports,
attending stakeholder meetings, or working closely with business leaders.
2. Data Acquisition
This is where data is collected from various sources like internal databases,
APIs, or external files.
Example: Pulling patient time logs from hospital systems.
, How to gain expertise: Learn SQL and Python for data retrieval. Familiarity with
