Homework
JWI 599: Business Analytics and Capstone
Assignment 1
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copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
JWI 599 – Assignment 1 (1244) Page 1 of 4
Assignment 1: Framing the Problem/Opportunity
Due: Monday, 9:00 am (eastern), Week 4 (Weight: 15%)
Overview
Effective leaders understand that actions must be based on facts. Which facts are most important, however,
depends on how the problem is framed. Failure to adequately define the problem can set in motion a series of
misguided undertakings in which irrelevant data are gathered, unnecessary analyses are completed, and
unsupported decisions are made. The first step in developing your Board Brief is to craft a clear statement of
the problem/opportunity, and then determine which data are most critical to solving that problem. This is your
opportunity to begin using the business analytics tools that will guide you throughout your Capstone Project.
Instructions
For all assignments in your Capstone Project, your work will be based on the organization you identified in
your Week 2 Discussion Question post. In this assignment, you will submit a 2 to 3-page paper in which you
will include a brief overview of market conditions and develop a clear and well-focused problem/opportunity
statement. This requires you to provide sufficient background on the competitive environment and the
organization to accurately frame the problem for your Board. Your deliverables are:
1. Present a brief overview of market conditions, the competitive environment, and the strengths
and weaknesses of your organization relative to your competitors. You should draw on one of
the methodologies you have studied in the program (such as Jack’s 5 Step Strategy Framework,
SWOT, PESTEL, or Porter’s Five Forces) to guide you, but DO NOT present a full-blown market
analysis to the Board. Your Board members will already possess significant knowledge of the market
and the company, so use this overview to set the stage for the rest of your brief. Distill your overview
down to 2 components.
a. First, provide a general overview of market conditions, trends, and big issues. For example,
you may begin with a line such as “As you know, we have experienced considerable
challenges in this space over the last two years…”
b. Then, summarize the competitive environment. Open with a sentence such as “Our biggest
competitor ABC has made bold steps to develop X and has made significant gains in market
share in Y. This has presented us with a number of challenges…”
2. Problem/Opportunity Statement
Following your overview, identify the specific problem or opportunity that, if properly addressed, will
have a significant positive impact on the success of the organization. This will include your “testable
hypothesis” for which you will gather and analyze data to validate in your next assignment. To
accomplish this:
JWI 599: Business Analytics and Capstone
Assignment 1
© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
JWI 599 – Assignment 1 (1244) Page 2 of 4
a. Define a clear problem or opportunity that addresses what is important to the organization in
order to meaningfully improve its competitive strength. Note: It is expected that you will refine
the problem/opportunity statement you drafted for your Week 2 Discussion Question,
leveraging the feedback you received from your classmates and professor.
b. Identify key data and metrics you will study that are relevant to addressing the
problem/opportunity.
c. Identify stakeholders who will be involved in addressing the problem/opportunity. At this
stage, you do not need to name specific people, but you must identify functions, departments,
geographical areas, etc., that will be impacted. You must also explain the nature of the
potential impact.
d. Include relevant information on previous experiences or findings related to this
problem/opportunity. This information may be noted in an appendix if that is more appropriate
for context and flow.
Formatting and Submission Requirements
• Submit your work in Word
• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, your name, your professor’s name, and
the course title and date
• Include a references page with your sources
• The cover page and the references page are not included in the required page length
• Use professional font (Times New Roman or Arial), 10-12 font size, and double-space
• Use headings to identify main topics and subtopics
• Separate paragraphs by a single space
JWI 599: Business Analytics and Capstone
Assignment 1
© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
JWI 599 – Assignment 1 (1244) Page 3 of 4
Rubric: Assignment 1
Criteria Unsatisfactory Low Pass Pass High Pass Honors
1. Demonstrate
correct application
of selected
framework for
market analysis
Weight: 15%
Did not use an
approved framework
or did not demonstrate
understanding of the
proper application of
the selected
framework
Demonstrated
minimal
understanding of the
selected framework;
included several
incorrect applications
of key elements
Demonstrated basic
understanding of the
selected framework;
only minor incorrect
or insufficient
applications of key
elements
Demonstrated very
good understanding
of the selected
framework; no
incorrect applications
of key elements
Demonstrated deep
understanding and
thorough application
of the selected
framework;
focused clearly on
the most critical
market forces
2. Include appropriate
data and real-world
examples to
populate the
selected framework
for market analysis
Weight: 15%
Did not include
appropriate and
verifiable real-world
data and examples
and/or included vague
or unsubstantiated or
irrelevant data and
examples
Included 4 or fewer
verifiable real-world
examples and data;
several data and
examples were off-
topic or poorly
connected to key
framework elements
Included 5 or more
verifiable real-world
examples and data;
minimal examples
were off-topic or
poorly connected to
key framework
elements
Included 5 or more
verifiable real-world
examples and data;
all examples were
on-topic and
connected to key
framework elements
Included 5 or more
verifiable real-world
examples and data;
all examples were
extremely well-
chosen and provided
excellent support for
key framework
elements
3. Clearly define the
problem and/or
opportunity,
leveraging
feedback from DQs
Weight: 20%
Did not submit or
incompletely defined a
problem or opportunity
of importance to the
organization; problem
or opportunity not
supported by market
analysis
Problem or
opportunity
statement was overly
vague and/or was
not supported by
market analysis;
scope may have
been too broad or
too narrow
Problem or
opportunity
statement was
supported by market
analysis; scope may
be too broad or too
narrow and needed
to be more tightly
defined
Problem or
opportunity
statement was clear
and was supported
by market analysis;
scope was
appropriate and well-
defined
Meets all HP
requirements and
includes a compelling
call to action
4. Identify key data
and metrics to
study that are
essential to
addressing the
problem and/or
opportunity defined
Weight: 25%
Did not identify key
data and metrics
relevant to the
problem/opportunity or
identified irrelevant
data and metrics
Identified 2 or fewer
key metrics and data
relevant to the
problem/opportunity;
connection to the
problem/opportunity
may be unclear
Identified 3 or more
key metrics and data
relevant to the
problem/opportunity;
connection to the
problem/opportunity
is included, but is
vague or
overgeneralized
Identified 4 or more
key metrics and data
relevant to the
problem/opportunity;
connection to the
problem/opportunity
is clear and specific
Identified 5 or more
key metrics and data
relevant to the
problem/opportunity;
connection to the
problem/opportunity
is clear and specific
and demonstrates
excellent insight into
potential causes and
correlations
5. Identify
stakeholders who
will be involved in
addressing the
problem/opportunity
Weight: 10%
Did not identify
stakeholders and/or
did not explain the
rationale for inclusion
and anticipated impact
Identified some
stakeholders, but
omitted additional
key stakeholders;
provided minimal
rationale for inclusion
and/or missing or
unclear anticipated
impact
Identified all key
stakeholders and
rationale for
inclusion; provided
basic explanation of
anticipated impact
Identified all key
stakeholders and
rationale for inclusion
and addressed the
nature of anticipated
impact
Identified all
stakeholders,
provided rationale for
their inclusion, and
made a clear
connection between
stakeholders and
anticipated impact
based on proposed
actions
JWI 599: Business Analytics and Capstone
Assignment 1
© Strayer University. All Rights Reserved. This document contains Strayer University confidential and proprietary information and may not be
copied, further distributed, or otherwise disclosed, in whole or in part, without the expressed written permission of Strayer University.
JWI 599 – Assignment 1 (1244) Page 4 of 4
Criteria Unsatisfactory Low Pass Pass High Pass Honors
6. Describe previous
findings or
experiences related
to the
problem/opportunity
Weight: 15%
Did not describe
previous findings or
experiences related to
the
problem/opportunity
Partially described
previous findings or
experiences related
to the
problem/opportunity;
key findings were
omitted or relevance
was unclear
Satisfactorily
described previous
findings or
experiences related
to the
problem/opportunity;
key findings were
included, but some
explanations of
relevance were
vague
Thoroughly
described previous
findings and
experiences related
to the
problem/opportunity;
findings and
experiences are
reflected in all
elements of the
assignment
Exemplarily
described previous
findings or
experiences related
to the
problem/opportunity;
findings and
experiences are
evident in all
elements of the
assignment and are
integrated in a
meaningful way
