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The Impact Hypothesis: After Thoughts

I recently wrote a piece on the impact hypothesis–that guess we make about how we turn the output of a data science project into impact. The tldr (but, you know, actually do read it) is that successful data science projects often fail to produce impact because we assume that they will. And that needs to change.

The Idea, in brief

Too often it’s taken for granted that if the algorithm is performing well then the business will improve. However, there’s almost always a step we need in order to take data science output (e.g. predicting churned customers) and create impact (e.g. fewer churned customers).

The step in between is the how we transform data science output into impact (e.g. targeting those predicted would-churn customers with promotions). It’s often assumed the how will happen. But if your assumption proves false, even amazing data science can not be impactful.

Instead of assuming the how will happen, we should explicitly state it as a hypothesis, critically scope it, and communicate it to all stakeholders.

This task should generally fall to the project manager or a nontechnical stakeholder–but its results should be shared with nontechnical and technical team members alike (that includes the data science team!).

If you incorporate this into your project scoping process, I guarantee you’ll have much more impactful projects and a much happier data science team.

So how come you’ve never hear of it?

At this point you may be wondering, if the impact hypothesis is so important why is it so often overlooked? And also, why have you never heard of it?

We conflate resource allocation with importance.  The data science part of the project is the part that demands the most investment in terms of time, personell-power, and opportunity costs.  Because we allocate it those resources, we also tend to give it all the attention during planning as well.

In reality, planning and scoping should be dedicated according to how critical something is to the success of a project. (Of course, don’t take longer than is need to accomplish the task. Dur.)  We know that if the impact hypothesis fails, the project can not succeed. Therefore it easily merits a dedicated critique.

The impact hypothesis is implied. This is a problem for many reasons. The biggest is that implicitness removes ownership.  So often the impact hypothesis goes unstated, leaving it both nebulous and anonymous.

The hypothesis needs to be made explicit so that it can be challenged, defended, and adjusted.  Without a clear statement, the how goes without critique because there is nothing to be critiqued.

If someone does challenge an unstated hypothesis, it is likely to become a shapeshifter of sorts; one that morphs slightly whenever a hole is identified, as hands are waved about it, dismissing and dodging valid concerns.

Without ownership there is no one to come to when a flaw in the hypothesis is uncovered. Just the act of writing down the hypothesis will clarify what it is and where it needs to be vetted.

The hypothesis is assumed to be correct.  This is in part a result of attribution issue. Having no notion of ownership often implies its ‘common knowledge.’ That is, a lack of ownership implies no one owns the idea because it’s so obvious correct. We should accept ‘obvious’ for an impact hypothesis. It’s too critical to the project.

Sometimes the hypothesis is assumed to be correct because it appears to be straightforward or trivial. Unfortunately, the appearance of simplicity often belies an idea that is no simpler to execute than those that are clumsy to describe.

Even if the hypothesis really is simple, it still needs to be challenged.  This hypothesis is the only thing that connects the data science project to the business impact.  It’s the only thing that justifies devoting the resources and personnel to a major project. Certainly it merits its own scoping.

It wasn’t named. The step didn’t have a name. That shortcoming is in part because we’re all still figuring out this new(ish) data science thing. This idea isn’t novel–nontechnical scoping is already a part of effective cross-team collaboration. Naming it is just a way to acknowledge that nontechnical scoping it is also critical in data science projects.

Now go forth and hypothesize!

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Talk the Talk: Data Science Jargon for Everyone Else (Part 1: The Basics)

Bite-sized bits of data science for the non-data scientist

Disclaimer: All * terms to be defined at a later point. As well as many others

data scientist: a role that includes basic engineering, analytics, and statistics; often builds machine learning models

  • depending on the company, might be a product analyst, research scientists, statistician, AI specialist, or other
  • a job title made up by a guy at Facebook and a guy at LinkedIn trying to get better candidates for advanced analytics positions

in a sentence: We need to hire a data scientist!

data science: advanced analytics, plus coding and machine learning

in a sentence: We need to hire a data science team!

artificial intelligence: the ability for a machine to produce inference from input without human directive

  • used to describe everything from basic data science to self driving cars to Ava’s Ex Machina
  • no one aggress a definition
  • “AI is whatever hasn’t been done yet.” ~ Douglas Hofstadter 

in a sentence: We just got our AI startup funded–join our team and become our first data scientist!

machine learning: algorithms and statistical models that enable computers to uncover patterns in data

  • claims a large part of old school statistics as its own, plus some fun new algorithms
  • it’s probably logistic regression. or a random forest….or linear regression.
  • AI if you’re feeling fancy

in a sentence: We need you to machine learn [the core of our startup].

model: a hypothesized relationship about the data,  usually associated with an algorithm

  • may be used to refer to the algorithm itself, the relationship, a fit* model, the statistical model, maybe the mathematical model, perhaps Emily Ratajkowski, certainly not a small locomotive
  • it’s probably logistic regression. or random forest….or linear regression.

in a sentence: I’m training a model. (and not how to turn left)

feature: an input to the model; x value; a predictor; a column of input data

  • when a data scientist is ‘engineering,’ this is usually what they’re making
  • if your model says that wine points predicts price, then sommeliers’ ratings is your feature

in a sentence: Feature engineering will make or break this model.

label: the output of a predictive model; y value; the column of output data

  • the thing the startup got funded to predict
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Talk the Talk: Data Science Jargon for Everyone Else (Prologue)

“AI is the future.”

“Data is the new oil!”

“Data scientist is the sexiest job that has ever or will ever exist.”

“Data is not the new oil!”

“Deploy the algorithm!”

These are just some of the things we hear about data, AI, and data science everyday. By now most of us can parrot back the sentiments in loose, noncommittal terms. Some can even weave the tropes, aphorisms, and hype into sentences. Usually that’s more than enough to convince leadership to hire a data scientist or to flesh out a slide as to why those hires were so pivotal.

But beyond the pitch and the powerpoint, we can’t rely on vague-ities. Not if we want to make the most out of those hires. If we want to capitalize on what data science can offer, we need to communicate in specifics, particulars, and with common understanding.

That is what this series is for; to empower you to communicate effectively with your data science, AI, and data teams.

This series is not going to make you a data scientist–and that’s not the intention. You don’t need to know how to train a model to know what it means to do so. You don’t need to be able to engineer features to know what data scientists are doing when they say that. You don’t need to know what cross-validation is to know why it’s important. You don’t need to know the details to understand the idea.

If you believe you can communicate without sharing a common language, I encourage you to discuss your favorite hobby with someone uninitiated in it. See how long you can go without explaining a term.

The fact is, jargon is everywhere–and it’s particularly prominent in this field. So, yes, we “better get used to it.” But jargon exists for a reason: it enables us to communicate specific, complex ideas quickly. And this field is chock-full of specific, complex ideas. Jargon just makes those ideas easier to communicate. So, really, we ought to embrace it.

Now, data scientists have this easy; they learn the jargon while they learn the job. It’s second nature for them to use the right words to describe their work. It’s clumsy, imprecise, and generally inaccurate to translate the right words into those that outsiders will accept.

So, let’s let the data scientists use the right words.

But how can you do that? By learning those words.

For all you not-data scientists out there, I’m making a cheat sheet.

If you want to learn the jargon, instead of just reading why it’s important to learn it, look for “Talk the Talk” posts or search the “jargon” tag. That’s where you’ll find bite-size installments of a growing cheat sheet of data science terms for non-data scientist.

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Talk the Talk: A Short Story on Why You Need at Least the Bare Bones of Data Science Jargon

This is a true, grimace-inducing story from a past position. Names and details have been changed to protect the innocent…and everyone else involved.

I’m running a model and taking a late lunch in a near empty cafeteria when my (then) boss slacks me. He wants an immediate video call. Like many, Adam was an engineering manager-turned-data science manager. He was very hands-off for the most part. But, he was prone to sudden bursts of interest.

“Where are you in your project?” His tone and lack of greeting make it clear he is stressed.

Adam’s background didn’t lend him to data science jargon, so I had long before learned to explain my work in straightforward language–particularly when he was already frustrated.

“I’m running a model now. I just finished making more columns–err–input variables–to improve predictions.”

“How long will that take?”

“We’re already using predictions from an early model, but I’ve been working back and forth with some of the subject matter experts, creating new input data, training models, improving performance…”

“Well when are you going to have a deliverable?” he’s agitated.

“We’re already using the predictions. I’m just working on improving–“

“But when will you have something to ship?” he interrupts. “James has already shipped four features this quarter.”

I stare at the screen. He glares back at me from beneath the finger-print smudges, brows knit and demanding an explanation.

James was a data scientist on a different team. We were friendly and caught up regularly around the modern day water cooler (READ: pamplemousse La Croix-filled fridge). As is often the case, we kept abreast of each other’s work out of vague collaborative intention, common interest in the company, and a general sense of camaraderie. Also, snacks.

So, I happen to know that James had already accomplished much more that quarter than building a four columns.

But why is Adam so impressed by feature engineering a few columns? And why is he calling them “shipped”?

“I need to see what features you’ve shipped.” He’s looking down at his phone, the edge of which is in view of the camera.

Why is he calling them “shipped”?

“Are you working on the website or the app?”

What?

“You need to be shipping features.” He gestures with his phone still in his hand.

Why…….ohhhhh shit.

Where do I begin?

“So…a feature–in data science–is a column of input data,” I explain.

Blank stare.

A pair of analysts I know sit at my table. Extra shit. I check my pocket for headphones. No luck.

“What do you mean, a feature in data science?” his aggression is waning but I scoot to the edge of the table nonetheless.

“It’s a column of data–the input values for a model.” I pause to see where that lands. “And feature engineering means building columns of input data. James built four columns of input data.” And to give credit where it’s due, “…He’s also done a lot more than that.”

Adam’s looking at me suspiciously, but not altogether in disbelief.

“In data science a feature isn’t like….a button on an app or a drop down menu or something.” The change in his facial expression tells me–yep, that’s what he was thinking. His phone drops out of sight. “A feature is a predictor–an input value.” I searched for another way to say it. “A column of X.”

Nothing.

“Ok, so today I finished creating change-in-weekly-spend columns because I think they might help predict churn.”

He looks at me blankly. This is getting nowhere.

“So, the features are change-in-weekly-spend. I made one for each of the 10 weeks prior to a set of given dates.” Pause. “So I feature engineered those input values. I’m training a model using them now.”

Silence.

“I shipped 10 features this morning.”

“Ok, see this is what I need to know.” He was relieved. “I need to be showing your value. You should be telling me this. I would have said so this morning.”

After a quick bit of chat commiserating about meetings, the call ends.

I slump on the bench. What else has been lost in translation? I think to myself. What does he think I do? What is he saying at those–

“Did he just ask you what a feature was?” One of the analysts asks.

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When Stack Exchange Fails

….or How to Answer Your Own Questions

This walk-thru shows how to hunt down the answer to an implementation question. The example references sklearn, github, and python. The post is intended for data scientists new to coding and anyone looking for a guide to answering their own code questions. 

Does sklearn’s gridsearchCV use the same cross validation train/test splits for evaluating each hyperparameter combination?

A student recently asked me the above question. Well, he didn’t pose it as formally as all that, but this was the underlying idea. I had to think for a minute. I knew what I assumed the implementation was, but I didn’t know for sure. When I told him I didn’t know but I could find out he indicated that his question was more of a moment’s curiosity than any real interest. I could’ve left it there. But now I was curious. And so began this blog post.

I began my research as any good data scientist does:

It’s true, this question is a little bit nit-picky. So, I wasn’t completely surprised when the answer didn’t bubble right up to the top of my google results.

I had to break out my real gumshoe skills: I added “stackexchange” to my query.

Now I had googled my question–twice–and no useful results. What was a data scientist to do?

Before losing all hope, I rephrased the question a few times (always good practice, but particularly useful in data science with its many terms for the same thing). Yet still no luck. The internet’s forums held no answers for me. This only made me more determined to find the answer.

What now?

There’s always the option to….read the documentation (which I did). But, as often is the case with questions that are not already easily google-able, the documentation did not answer the question I was asking.

“Fine.” I thought. “I’ll answer the question myself.”

How do you answer a question about implementation?

Look at the implementation. I.e, read the code.

Now, this is where many newer data scientists feel a bit uneasy. And that’s why I’m taking you on this adventure with me.

The Wonderland of Someone Else’s Code

Read the sklearn code?!?

If it feels like an invasion, it’s not. If it feels scary, it won’t be (after a you get used to it.) But if it sounds…dangerous? That’s because it is.

…Insofar as a rabbit hole is dangerous. Much like Alice’s journey through Wonderland, digging through someone else’s code can be an adventure fraught with enticing diversions, distracting enticements, and an entirely mad import party. It’s easy to find yourself in the Wonderland of someone else’s repo hours after you started, no closer to an answer, and having mostly forgotten which rabbit you followed here in the first place.

Much like Alice’s adventure, it’s a personal journey too. Reading someone else’s code can reveal a lot about you as a coder and as a colleague. But, that’s for another blog post .

Warned of the dangers, with our wits about us, and with our question firmly in hand (seriously–it helps to right it down), we begin our journey.

How do we find this rabbit hole of code in the first place? A simple google search of “GridSearchCV sklearn github” will get us fairly close.

Clicking through the first result get us to the .py file we need.

We know that GridSearchCV is a class, so we’re looking for the class definition. CMD(CTRL) + F “class GridSearchCV” will take us here.

We note that GridSearchCV inherits from BaseSearchCV. Right now, this could be a costly diversion. But, there’s a good chance we might need this later. So this is good a breadcrumb to mentally pickup.

And–Great! A docstring!

Oh, wait–a 300 line docstring. If we have the time we could peruse it, but if we skim it we notice it’s very similar to the documentation (which makes sense). We don’t expect to find any new information there, so we make the judgment call and pass by this diversion.

We scroll to the end of that lengthy docstring and find there are only two methods defined for this class (__init__ and _run_search). _run_search is the one we need.


Ok. So what’s this evaluate_candidates?

We can follow the same method of operation and search for def evaluate_candidates. With a little (ok, a lot) of scrolling we’ll see it’s a method of the BaseSearchCV class. Now, is when we pause to pat ourselves on the back for noting the inheritance earlier (pat, pat, pat).

Here we can finally start to inspect the implementation:

So….that’s a lot. After a cursory reading through the code, it becomes clear that the real work we’re concerned with happens here:

product, if you’re not familiar, is imported from the the fabulous itertools module which provides combinatorial functions like combinations, permutations, and product (used here).

(Worthy Read for Later: itertools has far more utility than listed here and it is certainly worth getting familiar with docs.)

There’s one product call for the candidate_params and cv.split. What does product  yield? It returns an iterator whose elements comprise the cartesian product of the arguments passed to it.

Now we’ve got distractions at every corner. We could chase cv, itertools, parallel,BaseSearchCV, or any of the other fun things.

This is where having our wits about us helps. We can look back to our scribbled question: “Does sklearn’s gridsearchCV use the same cross validation test splits for evaluating each hyperparameter combination?” Despite the tempting distractions, we are getting very close to the answer. Let’s focus on that product call.

Ok, great. So we have the cartesian product of candidate_params and cv.split(X, y, groups).

Thank Guido for readability counting, am I right?

From here it’s a safe bet that candidate_params are indeed the candidate parameters for our grid search. cv is cross validation and split returns precisely what we’d expect.

It might look concerning that one of the arguments passed to product is itself a call to the split method of cv. You might wonder “Is it called multiple times? Will it generate new cv splits for every element?”

Fear not, for product and split behave just as we would hope.

split returns a generator, a discussion of which merits its own post. For these purposes it’s enough to say split acts like an iterator (e.g. list).

… and product treats it the same as it would a list.

Let’s say we didn’t already know that (because we probably didn’t). When it comes to many common functions, we can often quickly test behavior with toy cases to answer our questions:

The exact same train sets for each parameter (high five!)

Great! Now all we have to do is look at this in its larger context:

It looks like delayed and parallel  will help us manage this execution. We could go hunt down how they do this, and it might be a worthy journey when time is not of the essence. For right now, we’ve got our wits about us and we’ve already answered our question:

sklearn’s gridsearchCV uses the same cross validation train/test splits for evaluating each hyperparameter combination.

There we have it. We’ve answered out question (yes!), we’ve might’ve learned about a cool new module (itertools), we even bookmarked a few diversions for if-we-ever-have-extra-time (parallel, generators, BaseSearchCV,….), and we did it all without too much distraction. Maybe we can even take lunch today!

Special thanks to Damien Martin, a fellow Metis SDS, for giving my post a good once-over.  You can find his blog at kiwidamien.github.io where you might want to start by reading his empirical Bayes series.