What is consulting

•The function of statistics is to solve real problems

Do statistics

Why statistical consulting?

• Why people consult statistics?• Finding the righet system to explore a problem

, finding the nuts and bolts to do the research• How to start identifying a statistical

relationship?• Where and which are the important source of

variation • Where are the uncertainty part

Subject matter view vs Statistical view

consultancy

12 Jan 2006 Hort Retreat © Brian S Yandell

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what is statistics?We may at once admit that any inference from the particular to the general must be attended with some degree of uncertainty, but this is not the same as to admit that such inference cannot be absolutely rigorous,for the nature and degree of the uncertaintymay itself be capable of rigorous expression.— Sir Ronald A. Fisher (1935 The Design of Experiments)digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/coll/special/fisher

The Ideal Statistical Consultant and the Satisfied Client

The statistician’s perspective.

The client’s perspective.

Five Dimensions of Quality.

Aligning expectations. Ten issues that

represent vulnerabilities in the client-consultant relationship.

Asking Good Questions?? Avoid errors of the

third kind. Identify what you

need to find out. Develop an

effective strategy for gathering information.

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Rules to Practice By

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Rule 1:

NEVER give advice over the phone.• It will always be bad

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Rule 2

NEVER answer when asked how many.• It is almost always the wrong question• The right question has to do with

defining the goals of the experimentTypically, you will have to help the investigator figure this out.

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Rule 3

Always interrogate the measurement• Systematic sources of measurement

variability abound• Ivestigators rarely know how to quantify

themBut they often can tell you what could be there

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Rule 4 (suggested by Lisa Bernstein)

Get the raw data• Many instruments, vendor-supplied/user-

created software “preprocess” the data in ad hoc, crazy ways devised by folks with no statistical training

Producing irretrievable junk that no subsequent analysis can redeem

• Often difficult to get “raw data” and difficult to deal with when you have them

e.g. images

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Rule 5

Thermodynamics: Disorder rules unless you work hard to defeat it. So...• Take nothing for granted• Provide explicit step by step

instructions, data format specifications, ...

• Remember Murphy

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Some useful things I’ve learned

Most science is about hypothesis generation, not hypothesis testingAll scientists have strong priorsAll variation is causedBeware of the data that aren’t there (suggested by Bill Forrest)All replicates are not created equalYou can never know too much statistics• But most of what you learn is silly

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A few more ...

Listen more, talk lessAlways provide an “executive summary” of your results in a graph or two and a paragraph or so of textA little paranoia can be good thingIt’s better to lead the parade than sweep up after the elephants (good design is more important than fancy analysis)If you don’t think it’s ethical, don’t do it• Your job is to speak for the data – integrity is

everything!

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And most important ...

HAVE FUN !• (else why do it?)