THE ACCIDENTAL ANALYST · STEPHEN McDANIEL

AI gives you answers. I teach your team which ones to trust.

Better evidence. Better judgment. Decisions you can defend.

I train finance and analytics teams to verify AI-assisted analysis, challenge assumptions, and confidently recommend the next business decision using approved company data.

Six-week private program for one company, up to 12 participants. Meet your instructor →

NetflixFirst data scientist; customer lifetime-value analytics
TableauHelped develop its original hands-on training
30,000+Professionals taught across his career
$1B+Pharma transaction evaluation supported by analytical modeling

“I've built the models. I know what to question.” Stephen McDaniel, co-author of The Accidental Analyst. Read his background →

LOOKS CONVINCING. PROVE IT.

An impressive dashboard isn't necessarily a reliable one.

AI can make a dashboard or forecast look finished in minutes. Your team still needs to test definitions, calculations, alternative explanations, and what the evidence actually supports.

01 · THE FIRST DRAFTLooks finished

Good visuals. Unanswered questions.

Which customers? What date range? Are refunds included? What counts as revenue?

02 · THE VERIFIED VIEWDecision-ready

Definitions checked. Context restored.

Clear metric definitions, comparable periods, verified calculations, and a decision the dashboard can support.

Illustrative example of the verification process.

AI suggests. You provide the judgment.Choose the question · Check the evidence · Challenge the result · Communicate the decision

FREE EXECUTIVE ANALYTICS EXAMPLES

See the thinking behind the numbers.

Watch Stephen challenge plausible AI outputs and investigate the decision behind the numbers. New demonstrations and archived Claude Dashboard Daily builds remain free.

Featured analysis: The $5M Netflix Mistake Most Data Analysts Still Make

FREE · EXECUTIVE ANALYTICAL JUDGMENT

Watch the question. Challenge the answer.

One focused executive analytics demonstration each week, plus the existing free library. Explore what the AI gets right, what needs investigation, and how to make a recommendation more defensible.

“Looks convincing. Prove it.” It's a habit worth teaching.

Browse the free example library →

FOR INDIVIDUAL ANALYSTS · SELF-PACED COURSE

Confident Dashboards with Claude

Build Strategic, Tactical, and Operational Dashboards Executives Trust.

StrategicTacticalOperational

$399 founding price First 50 customers · then $499

The Daily shows the build. The course teaches the method behind it: define the business question, verify every critical number, and design the view each audience needs to act.

See the Course and Founding Price

Curriculum, FAQs, and enrollment details are on the course page.

PROFESSIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS

What senior leaders say about working with Stephen.

From colleagues and clients on Stephen's professional work. These are not reviews of the course.

“He combines strategic vision with hands-on expertise in data engineering, analytics, and data science.”
Doug Pollack, Chief Revenue Officer View original recommendation ↗
“Stephen had an immediate and substantial impact on our team.”
Jeff Katz, VP, Partnerships & Strategy View original recommendation ↗
Pat Hanrahan presenting The Accidental Analyst's Seven C's at Tableau Conference
Pat Hanrahan presenting the Seven C's at Tableau Conference.

A METHOD WITH A HISTORY

Built on years of teaching people to question the numbers.

Tableau co-founder and Turing Award recipient Pat Hanrahan built part of his Tableau Conference keynote around The Accidental Analyst, and said the book changed how he thought about analytics and influenced how he taught at Stanford. The same method now guides how Stephen works with AI.

Learn more about Stephen's background →

YOUR NEXT EXECUTIVE DECISION

Make the numbers earn your trust.

Talk through one high-stakes analysis and whether a private team Accelerator would help.