# Time, Tools, and Functions By:: [[Ross Jackson]] 2022-10-18 Woodworking can be informative. Being able to build something well can be both gratifying and useful. When one works with wood one comes to understand a few things. First, wood is a material that lends itself to building. It is both sturdy and amenable to shaping. This allows one to take pieces of wood, get them into the desired shapes, and have a finished product that is strong enough to withstand use. Second, when working with wood one can use simple hand tools or powerful machines. The use of tools changes the amount of time required to complete the project. Lastly, the degree of precision one is willing to give to a project is potentially influenced by its eventual use. A dining room table could reasonably require more detail and precision than a garage bench. In short, woodworking helps one become attuned to consider time, tools, and function. One can make connections between the crafts of woodworking and analytics. There is no shortage of analytics techniques, software packages, and programming environments. These are the tools of analytics. One could analyze by hand, but often having the right tool makes the task more precise and eventually could take less time. In determining the right mix of tools and time one should assess the situation. Understanding the function of the analysis is essential for appropriately scoping the project. Sometimes all that is needed is a quick ballpark figure. Other times a detailed estimate is required to better manage the execution of a project. These would require different investments of time and could reasonably influence one’s tool selection for the analysis. In the days of mass-produced furniture, woodworking is slightly anachronistic. Seldom, in my experience, does it save any money. If one is to engage in woodworking one is likely to experience the joy of creation. Making something can be inherently rewarding. Analysis is way too trendy to be considered anachronistic. This is the analytics moment. But this moment won’t last forever or remained unchanged. Artisan woodworking and analysis are niches. Mass-produced furniture and automated business intelligence might be all that is needed. If this is the case, the market will furnish these efficiently. These things will only be produced so well, and certainly, they become common to the point of being boring. Excellence is never mass-produced, it requires skill. The analytics which will produce creative insights and opportunities requires time, tools, and an understanding of the organizational function of analysis. In short, analytics is skilled labor, and its output is artisanal. #### Related Items [[Analytics]] [[Tools]] [[Time]] [[Woodworking]] [[Business]] [[Creative]] [[Artisan]]