Symposium Recap: “Beyond Coincidence: Understanding Causality”

Theoretical introduction: Correlation versus causality

After a series of introductory blog posts*, the moment finally arrived on March 21, 2024: the symposium for everyone who collects, analyzes, or visualizes data. Senior Consultant Emy Hermens opende de dag met een toegankelijke uitleg over de vraag die velen bezighoudt: Correlatie is geen causatie, maar hoe identificeer je dan wél causale verbanden in je data? Met duidelijke, praktijkgerichte voorbeelden uit onze eigen projecten gaf ze een heldere introductie en maakte ze de koppeling tussen theorie en praktijk.

Causal diagrams in practice

After a short break, the Consultant took Matthijs Tijink took the floor with his presentation: Finding & Using Causal Graphs. He challenged the audience to draw a causal diagram for making a cheesecake, which immediately revealed the complexity of the subject. His conclusion: creating a causal diagram is not always simple, but visualizing relationships can yield valuable insights and clarify the focus of the conversation.

Guest speaker Richard Post: a deep(er) dive

By this point, the participants were well warmed up and ready for the next challenge: the guest speaker's presentation. Richard Post, Postdoctoral Researcher in Causal Inference at Eindhoven University of Technology. His presentation took the theory to the next level, and the audience was actively engaged through Mentimeter polls. The energy and engagement of the participants were impressive from start to finish.

The success of our symposium was no coincidence.

To implement changes and achieve improvements, one must understand the causes behind specific outcomes. This symposium offered valuable insights to all 100 attendees regarding the theory of causality, how to uncover causal links in data, and why the correct interpretation of these connections is essential. The relevance of causality in the professional field became clear, and participants learned how to apply this methodology to improve decision-making.

Participant feedback

We look back on a valuable and successful event. And judging by the enthusiastic reactions from the participants, we can conclude that our guests shared this experience.

• "It is surprising and gratifying to see that you place such importance on expert input regarding causality. This is something I can readily apply in my work."
• "Do you organize events like this often? It would be great to participate again!"
• "The example case demonstrates not only how to build a causal model but also how to create a model that gains organizational buy-in and contributes to business value."

Handouts and future events

Are you interested in the presentation handouts? Or would you like to make sure you are invited to a future CQM event? Feel free to contact us.

* Blogs over dit onderwerp:

• Guest blog post: Covariate adjustment in etiologic research
• Eerlijke algoritmes door middel van causaliteit
• Smakelijke samenloop: Causaliteit in de ijssalon