Task: Compile the Business Background

Understanding your organization’s business situation helps you know what you’re working with in terms of:

Available resources (personnel and material)
Problems
Goals

You’ll need to do a bit of research on the current business situation in order to find real answers to questions that can impact the outcome of the data mining project.

Determine Organizational Structure

Develop organizational charts to illustrate corporate divisions, departments, and project groups. Be sure to include managers’ names and responsibilities.

Identify key individuals in the organization.

Identify an internal sponsor who will provide financial support and/or domain expertise.

Determine whether there is a steering committee and procure a list of members.

Identify business units that will be affected by the data mining project.

Describe Problem Area

Identify the problem area, such as marketing, customer care, or business development.
Describe the problem in general terms.
Clarify the prerequisites of the project. What are the motivations behind the project? Does the business already use data mining?
Check on the status of the data mining project within the business group. Has the effort been approved, or does data mining need to be “advertised” as a key technology for the business group?
If necessary, prepare informational presentations on data mining to your organization.

Describe Current Solution

Describe any solutions currently used to address the business problem.
Describe the advantages and disadvantages of the current solution. Also, address the level of acceptance this solution has had within the organization.