WGU D596 Task 1: The Data Analytics Life Cycle and Real-
World Application
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
World Application
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
