Strange people, these business analysts

**Zippy** · 2 September 2009, 11:29

**scooterscot** · 2 September 2009, 11:30

To test your competence?

**HairyArsedBloke** · 2 September 2009, 11:32

A bit of sarcasm to hint that you’ve got the wrong results?

**NotAllThere** · 2 September 2009, 12:14

Said B.A. is from the subcontinent and has been resident in the US for over ten years. I don't think he knows what sarcasm is.

I've got him trained to the point where he doesn't just say - "the results are wrong", but rather tells me what results he expects and what he got.

Now I've just got to get him to explain why he expects the results he has.

Ah well - the downside of taking junior work. Still getting ++senior rate though.

**darmstadt** · 2 September 2009, 12:53

Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post

Said B.A. is from the subcontinent and has been resident in the US for over ten years.

Is there any difference?

**Scary** · 2 September 2009, 13:27

Originally posted by NotAllThere View Post

Currently developing a few report for a laboratory system. One of the reports requires the mean and std. dev. of a set of a results.

Just been asked by the business analyst who specified the report - "What formula are you using for calculating the mean and std. dev.".

Maybe geometric or arithmetic mean?

ETA: although I'm sure he could work it out by looking at the numbers

**Sysman** · 2 September 2009, 13:33

Originally posted by Scary View Post

Maybe geometric or arithmetic mean?

ETA: although I'm sure he could work it out by looking at the numbers

But has he ever done stats without a computer? Or without a calculator for that matter?

Many years' experience with the Yanks tells me you have to spell things out for them.

**scooterscot** · 2 September 2009, 14:32

Originally posted by Sysman View Post

But has he ever done stats without a computer? Or without a calculator for that matter?

Many years' experience with the Yanks tells me you have to spell things out for them.

Yes, during me masters in operational research...

**NotAllThere** · 2 September 2009, 17:53

I was talking to the Finnish project manager. She says that at school, she learned 3 different ways of rounding - truncation, up (or down), and .5 goes up and less than .5 goes down.

Apparently, in the US branch, they've 24 different rounding rules...

Strange people, these business analysts