Business Metrics for Data-Driven Companies Course Syllabus

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to business metrics and their role in data-driven decision-making. Over approximately 8 hours of content, you'll explore key performance indicators, industry-specific metrics, and the roles involved in business analytics. The course combines conceptual learning with real-world case studies, culminating in a practical application project. Designed for beginners, it requires no prior technical background and is ideal for professionals across functions.

Module 1: About This Specialization and Course

Estimated time: 0.5 hours

• Overview of specialization structure and learning outcomes
• Introduction to the course scope
• Understanding the business relevance of data-driven decisions

Module 2: Introducing Business Metrics

Estimated time: 2 hours

• Differences between data and business metrics
• Deep dive into revenue, profit, and risk metrics
• Understanding key performance indicators (KPIs)
• Business case: Understanding coffee chain performance

Module 3: Working in the Business Data Analytics Marketplace

Estimated time: 2 hours

• Definitions and responsibilities of business analyst, data analyst, and data scientist
• Career paths in data analytics
• Skill sets required for analytics roles
• 20-point checklist for evaluating a company’s data capability

Module 4: Going Deeper into Business Metrics

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Industry-specific metrics in marketing
• Industry-specific metrics in finance
• AdWords effectiveness as a marketing metric
• Sharpe Ratio in financial performance analysis

Module 5: Applying Business Metrics to a Case Study

Estimated time: 1 hour

• Peer-reviewed assignment using real-world company data
• Analyzing performance with business metrics
• Proposing actionable improvements based on metric insights

Module 6: Final Project

Estimated time: 1.5 hours

• Select a company scenario or dataset
• Apply the 20-point data maturity checklist
• Deliver a short report with metric-based recommendations

Prerequisites

• Familiarity with basic business concepts
• No technical or programming background required
• Interest in data-informed decision-making

What You'll Be Able to Do After

• Identify and differentiate key business metrics from raw data
• Understand performance indicators across industries and business models
• Distinguish roles such as business analyst, data analyst, and data scientist
• Apply a 20-point checklist to assess a company’s data maturity
• Analyze how digital companies use data to disrupt traditional sectors