From Manual Audits to Algorithmic Risk Detection
Pivoted a basic data-fix task into a statistical risk-detection dashboard, slashing marketing audit time and accelerating decision-making speed by 2x.
Situation
The data platform calculated marketing channel performance (CPC, CPA, CPS) to determine partner payouts. The initial problem reported was frequent inaccuracies in channel performance data. However, because better-performing channels received higher payouts, certain channels were actively inflating metrics to exploit the system. To prevent this financial leakage, the marketing team was forced to manually audit true performance, severely draining their daily productivity.
Task
Led root cause analysis of data errors and built a risk detection platform to automate channel auditing and eliminate manual validation.
Roles & Deliverables
Requirement Reframing & Pivot:
Interviewed marketing stakeholders and identified manual fraud verification as the true bottleneck. Pivoted from a bug-fix approach to a systemic automated risk-control solution.
Concept Validation:
Aligned with stakeholders on visual risk flagging as the core solution. Designed a statistical detection model and validated it using historical data, confirming normal distribution effectively isolates anomalous channels.
Dual-Dimension Risk Modeling:
Built a risk-scoring model combining vertical (historical performance) and horizontal (peer comparison) deviation analysis, visualized through a gradient-based dashboard for rapid audit interpretation.
Iterative Delivery Strategy:
De-risked deployment through a phased rollout approach instead of a full system launch, continuously aligning algorithm outputs and prototypes with stakeholders to secure cross-functional consensus and ensure stable adoption.
Result
Systemic Defense:
Evolved the data platform into a financial risk firewall, proactively reducing revenue leakage risks.
Operational Empowerment:
Freed marketing from manual validation, enabling focus on high-ROI growth strategies.
Continuous Risk Optimization:
Established a roadmap for algorithmic resilience by integrating delayed validation metrics (LTV, retention) to strengthen fraud detection and system robustness.
Impact
Real-Time Data Transformation:
- Transformed marketing data retrieval and auditing from batch processing (1-day delay) to real-time operations.
- Accelerated strategic decision-making speed by 2x through instant data accessibility.