Last week, Grainger Hall buzzed with excitement as the 2nd annual MSBA Analytics Challenge brought together seventeen teams, each competing under creative names like Wunderkids, Power GI, and Insight Architects. The competition tasked the students with playing the role of consulting executives at “Wisneyland Hong Kong,” where they were required to analyze thousands of visitor survey responses. Their goal? To identify common complaints and recommend simple, impactful solutions—the “low-hanging fruit” that would be easy for the theme park to address.
Fierce Competition
Each team had an intense 1½ hours to dive into the data and develop actionable insights. The pressure didn’t stop there: teams then had only 2½ minutes to present their findings to a panel of judges and a live audience, challenging their ability to deliver clear, compelling narratives under tight time constraints.
The students tackled the challenge using a structured approach. They began with an initial data analysis, followed by the creation of visualizations and a concise presentation. To handle the unstructured text of the reviews, one team, for example, leveraged tools like Python, SQL, Excel, and Tableau, showcasing the importance of using the right tools to visualize insights effectively. This process gave the students invaluable experience in both technical analysis and communicating business-critical information.
Key Takeaways from the Judges
The panel provided insightful feedback to the teams, emphasizing several key points:
Sam Fong, Director of Client Services for Integrated Marketing Solutions, Inc., highlighted the importance of a well-structured methodology. He advised teams to clearly explain what steps they took, project confidence during presentations, and ensure their recommendations were sharply focused. His bonus tip: only present the most critical insights—keep some details as backup in case of questions.
Katie Gaertner, WSB Business Analytics Lecturer, stressed the need for teams to stay focused on the prompt, reminding participants to deliver the “low-hanging fruit” solutions as requested. She praised the most successful teams for telling a clear, compelling story that aligned perfectly with the task.
Jay Page, Director of Experiential Learning for the MSBA program, had the pleasure of announcing the winning teams, who received victory medals, a trip to a conference, sweatshirts, resume material and a featured spot at February’s MSBA Career Fair!
And the Winners Are…
After an intense round of presentations, the top three teams were recognized for their exceptional work:
- 3rd place: Power GI
- 2nd place: Bam
- 1st place: Analytics Anonymous
This challenge helped participants refine their analytical skills, master the art of using data to drive decisions, and improve their ability to communicate solutions to stakeholders—all essential abilities for future business leaders.
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