Handle Unknown, Missing, and Failed States

Three different absences, represented three different ways, so none of them reads as zero.

See the situation

Start with the situation below. Next, we will work through an example together before you try the activity.

Elena · Reporting lead

The case

The segment that looks best because it captured least

Unknown, missing, failed, and not applicable need distinct meanings. A blank must not become an unsupported zero.

Segment A: Good capture, honest average
Segment B: Poor capture, many blanks
Blanks treated as: Zero
Effect on the overall mean: Pulled toward zero by B
Who gets sent to fix things: Segment A

Your task

Classify why each value is blank. Compare the totals before and after treating every blank as zero.

Need a little guidance?

You’re done when: Data gaps remain visible instead of silently becoming zero.

Different absence states change both operations and reporting.

Need a reminder? Reopen the worked example

Watch one example first

A verified count of zero is different from an unavailable source, a failed calculation, or a metric outside its relevance window. Each should be represented explicitly.

Why this follows from the evidence

A blank has no safe universal meaning. The field contract must explain its absence states before reporting turns them into numbers.

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Case evidence

The segment that looks best because it captured least

Segment A: Good capture, honest average
Segment B: Poor capture, many blanks
Blanks treated as: Zero
Effect on the overall mean: Pulled toward zero by B
Who gets sent to fix things: Segment A

In the situation above, the segment with the worst data capture looks the best, and somebody is about to be sent to fix the wrong team. Separate the three kinds of absence.

Classify why each value is absent

“No value” is not one diagnosis. Classify the evidence first; a numeric zero means the metric was measured and its value was zero. The example permits two duration defects to share a disclosed defect bucket because neither has a usable elapsed-time value.

Values to diagnose

Drag a card into a bucket, or tap a card and then tap a bucket.

unknown

missing

failed

not applicable

observed zero

combined defect

Not classified

May missing and failed share a bucket here?What does a numeric zero mean?How are out-of-scope records shown?

Restoring your saved work…

Your place saves as you go.

Chapter 7 of 80 complete