Study design turns a business question into a plan before analysis begins. Write a protocol describing the procedures, possible results, and the meaning of each result. This prevents attractive findings from steering the interpretation after the fact. section 3.2
Build the plan around four questions:
- What business decision or question will the analysis address? section 3.2
- Which analyses and procedures will be performed? section 3.2
- What results could occur? section 3.2
- What action or interpretation follows from each result? section 3.2
A simple decision protocol
For a pricing decision, define the outcomes before inspecting results: if the current price is higher than the purchase price, sell; if equal, hold; otherwise, buy. The protocol may change after preprocessing reveals that some planned analyses are impossible, or when stakeholders revise their priorities. section 3.2
