Individual assignment (20%)
You build your own dataset, check that it behaves like real data, analyse it yourself, then ask AI to analyse it and compare the two. You finish with a short report.
Bean Haven Café is an example, not the only topic
The Bean Haven Café case (customers' age, visit frequency, spend per visit, monthly spending) shows you the process. You may build your own dataset in any management area from Dr Francis's Data Generation Handbook. You are not limited to sales data.
The five stages
- Dataset prepared: choose your management area and topic, decide your variables, and generate the data in Excel.
- Noise checked: make sure relationships are realistic, not perfect. Real data has overlap (noise). Freeze your values (paste as values) so they stop changing.
- Tested & compared: do your own analysis first, then ask AI to analyse the same data, then put both side by side in a comparison table.
- Report drafted: explain what you found, where you and the AI agreed or disagreed, and why.
- Ready to submit: check the file, the report and the brief once more, then submit.
Track your progress
Update your stage on the Individual Assignment progress tracker on the BIDA Google Site. Pick your name, confirm with your matric number, and choose your current stage. Tick I need help if you are stuck; your lecturer can see it.
Data Generation Handbook: quick checklist
- My topic fits one of the handbook's management areas.
- I know which variables are inputs and which are results.
- I planned how strongly each pair of variables should be related.
- The relationships show realistic noise (not a perfect straight line).
- I froze the values before analysing.
- My own analysis was done before I asked AI.
Tip
Stuck on Excel formulas? See Chapter 2 and the common errors on the Top-20 Vehicles page.