For analysts and teams buried in spreadsheets, dashboards, and AI outputs

Turn messy analysis into work leaders can use.

The Accidental Analyst helps analysts and business teams build cleaner Excel systems, better dashboards, stronger analysis workflows, and decision packets managers can act on.

Request a Founding Seat Book a team fit call
Two paths

Build capability. Fix the workflow.

Cohorts: for analysts and teams that need stronger analysis habits.

Projects: for one dashboard, report, forecast, or Excel workflow that needs a focused fix.

Excel seats from $1,495. Diagnostics $6,500. Sprints $25,000.

Authority

The method has a real history.

The Accidental Analyst began as a book and training system by Eileen and Stephen McDaniel for people who suddenly owned serious analysis work.

The framework also reached the Tableau keynote stage: Pat Hanrahan presented with The Accidental Analyst visible on screen.

Stephen has worked across Netflix, Tableau, Yahoo, SAS, Oracle, forecasting, BI, enterprise data, and analytics training. The site now teaches and applies that method for the AI era.

About the methodPreview the bookSee proof and case notes
Pat Hanrahan discussing The Accidental Analyst at the 2012 Tableau World Conference.
Pat Hanrahan, PhD, Canon USA Professor at Stanford University, co-founder of Tableau Software and Pixar, and recipient of two Academy Awards, discussed The Accidental Analyst in his only talk at the 2012 Tableau World Conference. He said the book changed how he thought about analytics and inspired him to change his approach to teaching courses at Stanford.

Proof before promise

Books, keynote context, and repeatable case patterns.

The book origin

The Accidental Analyst began as a practical framework for people doing serious analysis work before AI made the mess faster.

Tableau-era proof

The framework reached a Tableau keynote context with Pat Hanrahan, reinforcing the visual analysis roots behind the method.

Case-note library

Field Notes turns recurring dashboard, forecast, cohort, and metric failures into teachable analysis patterns.

See proof and case notes

Path 1

Cohorts

Hands-on labs for Excel-heavy analysts and teams that need better questions, better review, safer AI use, and clearer outputs.

Founding individual seats from $1,495. Team packs available.

See cohorts

Path 2

Projects

Fixed-scope help for one important workflow that takes too much effort and still fails to give leaders clear decisions.

$6,500 Diagnostic. $25,000 Sprint.

See projects

Who it is for

Analysts, managers, and teams close to the work.

Analysts

Excel, BI, Tableau, FP&A, RevOps, Sales Ops, and operations analysts.

Managers

Leaders who need better analyst judgment, not another tool demo.

Teams

Groups responsible for recurring reports, dashboards, forecasts, and business reviews.

Start here

Choose the path that matches the problem.

Excel Systems Lab

For analysts who live in spreadsheets and need cleaner, more reliable work with AI support.

Request a Founding Seat

Business Science Project Lab

For analysts and teams ready to bring one messy business question through a finished analysis process.

Join the waitlist

Team fit call

For managers considering team seats, a private cohort, a Diagnostic, or a focused workflow Sprint.

Book a team fit call

Dashboard Debt Scorecard

Find where dashboards, spreadsheets, and recurring reports are wasting time or failing to drive decisions.

Take the scorecard

Scorecard

Find the hidden reporting drag.

The Dashboard Debt Scorecard helps identify whether the issue is individual skill, team capability, or one urgent workflow that needs fixing.

Take the scorecard

Get Field Notes

Short stories about data, AI, mistakes, experiments, business judgment, and better decisions.

Get Field Notes