# Setting the Foundation By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2024-06-09 A foundation for a building might be hidden. However, one will undoubtedly discover it if the foundation was inadequately laid. The foundation is the basis of the structure. Attention is necessary to set the foundation securely. Once set, the building can progress with little attention given to the foundation's quality. And so it is with analytics. Understanding analytics is the foundation for informed action. Once analytics are understood, focusing attention on its application is possible. Marx wrote the _Theses on Feuerbach_ in the spring of 1845. The 11th thesis famously stated, "Philosophers have hitherto only interpreted the world in various ways; the point is to change it." Similarly, the point of learning about analysis is to transform organizational reality. More than almost any other discipline, analysis holds transformative power because it enables one to correct inaccurate assumptions, discover unknown connections, and reveal underlying patterns. Learning the basics of analysis is essential to progress to the point of being able to unlock and control its transformative potential. Moving beyond the basics is likely where one's interest will eventually progress. However, it is beneficial to return to the foundations periodically, just like checking the foundation of a building, which is a valuable part of routine maintenance. Returning to the basics of analysis occurs when training new analysts. This allows established analysts to rediscover aspects of analysis that they might have inadvertently neglected. These neglected techniques are often just what is needed to inform a given area of focus. Their current use potential makes a seasoned analysis say, "Oh yeah, that technique could be useful here," when reacquainted. There is no substitute for setting a solid foundation; however, one benefit from remembering that the point is to construct a building. Eventually, one must look up from the foundation and build toward the sky. Analysts must learn techniques and then apply them. At first, the applications will be directed. Ideally, analysts will eventually become self-actualized, examine the world, and apply analysis to transform it beneficially. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Skills]] [[Action]] [[Progress]] [[Organization]] [[Power]] [[Transitions]] [[Technique]]