Introducing Canard Analytics

We’re halfway through 2023 already and this year is quickly shaping up to be my most exciting yet. My wife and I welcomed our first child, a little girl, into the World in January, and today I’d like to introduce you to my new venture, Canard Analytics. This is the culmination of many months of hard work, and so today I’m thrilled to share a little more about what I’ve been up to, and my vision for this new company. 

Canard Analytics is an independent consulting agency focused on leveraging the power of well-crafted code in the areas of workflow automation, web application development, and data analytics. We work predominantly in Python, the dominant language of the science, engineering, and data analytics industries. 

Any new venture must set out to address a problem in the market: 

I believe that there is enormous value to be unlocked by marrying thoughtful and well-crafted code to solve new and existing business challenges.

This could be automating and streamlining an existing process, building a new web application to acquire or retain customers, or cleaning up raw data and creating new insights through analysis.   

In our hyper-connected world, it often feels like we’re continually bombarded by some new “world-changing” technology that is going to displace existing businesses - sick of hearing/worrying about AI yet?

Canard Analytics aims to be a partner and guide, assisting you and your company to not only survive in this digital economy but to thrive. 

Everything is Exponential

A mistake I think we often make is to view the world through a linear lens when in fact almost everything in life follows an exponential relationship of either gain or decay. Productivity and progress certainly falls into this category; meaning that any gains made today will compound continuously and indefinitely through the life of any business. Our mistake is that the early stages of the exponential appear linear and so we severely underestimate the benefits of a power law distribution. 

Our mission is to unlock these gains through a custom suite of digital tools and services, covering three broad (but closely intertwined) focus areas: Automation, Web Applications, and Analysis & Analytics.

Automation

I believe that an extraordinary amount of human capital is inefficiently deployed in the workplace. Manually completing any repeatable task is inefficient and prone to error. I’m of the view that repetitive tasks should always be automated, thereby freeing your workforce up to perform higher value tasks.

Canard Analytics has a wide range of tools in our toolbox, and our proposed automation solution will be one that best matches the scope of the defined problem, and the budget allocated to solving it.

For smaller projects our go-to tool is Microsoft Excel (although probably not in the way that you are used to working on it). Custom ribbon bars and robust VBA modules ensure that your Workbooks are bulletproof, producing repeatable results, day-after-day, month-after-month.

Excel is a great tool for simpler, smaller projects where the datasets are fairly small, and the calculations not too complex. However, all too often Excel is used on larger, complex projects or processes that would be far better suited to a custom software solution. 

Our preferred software stack for solving these types of problems involves either the Django or Flask framework (browser based with a Python backend) running a PostgreSQL or SQLite database. Building the user interface (UI) in the web browser has many advantages primarily: 

1. Ubiquity - we are all comfortable browsing the web and so the browser forms a natural and unintimidating UI.
2. Accessibility - the application can be deployed in the cloud, accessible anywhere.
3. Control - add and remove users, set a tight permission structure, protect your intellectual property.

Web Applications

We offer a complete set of website and web application services. This can range from the creation of a simple static site to far more complex web applications and interactive dashboards. There is seldom a one-size-fits-all solution and so we’ll advise you on the best way to build your application such that it can effortlessly scale as you do.

Our digital applications are built in Django or Flask. Both are powerful web frameworks that perfectly leverage Python to produce a fast, scalable, and robust site. Since the application backend is powered by Python, the complete set of Python modules are available for development. This creates almost endless application possibilities, and a powerful set of tools for any technically demanding application. 

Data Analytics

My roots are in the aerospace industry which is necessarily characterised by large datasets, highly technical analysis, and world-class processes designed to keep aircraft in the air and operating safely. The expertise gained creating processes and building analysis software in this demanding industry means that I am very well positioned to apply these learnings to your business. 

Data is the new oil, and most modern businesses are drowning. Unfortunately, this raw data is only useful once properly combined, refined and analysed. As datasets get larger, the tools we use to analyse and extract insight from that data must necessarily change. This is where Python really shines as the language of data scientists, engineers, and machine learning/AI.  

Content is Key

Python as a programming language is growing rapidly in popularity, and already dominates the science, engineering, and data analytics industries. I am building Canard Analytics as a digital-first company, and as such our website is our most important means to communicate our value offering to clients. To that end I’ve been busy building a large repository of free learning resources at https://canardanalytics.com/blog/ which I’d encourage you to explore. 

Sharing knowledge freely is one of the guiding principles upon which the company has been created. I believe that in an increasingly digital world, hoarding valuable knowledge actually hinders your growth and marketability, rather than enhancing it. It is only through sharing your knowledge and skills generously that you build your reputation and become indispensable. 

Let's Build Together

The first six months of 2023 has seen us working with a few clients, refining our offering, and building out our website (which of course is built in Python using the Django Framework). I’m thrilled to share that we are now officially open for business and actively looking for new clients.

This is just the beginning of what I hope will be the long and successful story of Canard Analytics. I’m now available for consulting work and if you think we may be a fit for your company then please drop me an email at info@canardanalytics.com and let’s get connected.