Simple series of steps
The simplest application of statistics addresses a single question in the context of some practical subject area.
Statistics has a role to play in all stages of this process.
Feedback
The initial question is usually less well defined and a single pass through the process is not enough.
An example of feedback arises when a small fraction of the data is initially collected and analysed. The information obtained from this pilot study is used to refine the data collection process.
Another example of feedback occurs when the initial analysis reveals unusual or unexpected features in the data. Such features may suggest further questions and therefore further data collection.