For any successful implementation,
five critical perspectives must be managed
properly. We address with these perspectives
in parallel to ensure that all aspects are
dealt with and that the project is completed
in time.
Key to the success of
any Business Intelligence project is an
in-depth understanding of how the business
operates, what the processes are and what
questions need to be answered to sustain
and improve performance. At this stage,
knowing what data is available and to what
level of detail is largely irrelevant. The
truth is that many business intelligence
projects fail to deliver what the business
users believe they specified, even though
the project team believe they met the specification
Organisations
ignore data quality at their peril. It is
an essential component in any Business Intelligence
approach, with many projects failing to
deliver the anticipated results due to incomplete,
inconsistent or inaccurate results. Step
one is to recognise and accept the importance
of data quality. According to Gartner organisations
who address data quality early in a project
cycle are likely to deliver the project
50% sooner while increasing the probability
of positive user adoption of the solution.
Steps can be taken to intelligently validate
and correct records (e.g. cleansing technologies)
and then ongoing monitoring of data quality
improvements and changes (e.g. monitoring
of process and control data). However, technology
alone is not the answer and the involvement
and support of process owners throughout
the project life-cycle is vital.nsuring
that the business system optimally supports
the customer’s business processes.
Simplify the Design
If business users are
the ultimate beneficiaries, then their
skills and competencies must be taken
into account in the design stage. While
business people are highly valued for
their business acumen and specialist knowledge,
their technical prowess cannot always
be relied on. The best solution for the
business is therefore the one that is
simple to use and simple to administer.
If a Business Intelligence solution has
not been designed for ultimate simplicity
then it will fail to gain momentum with
the very people it's there to serve. DATAXMARTs
benchmark for simplicity is to be able
to answer a business question with a single
question/query. This must be addressed
at the database level by ensuring that
the reporting database reflects the way
the business users think about their business,
while taking into account their choice
of query and analysis tools.
Communicate Effectively
Whether you're looking
to focus people's attention, instigate
new behaviour or manage change, you won't
be able to do this if the information
is not relevant and of personal interest
to them.
Everyone is confronted with so much information
every day, so we 'forcibly' advocate using
personalisation, subscription and database
security techniques to ensure people only
receive the information they want, need
or are allowed. They also need to receive
information in a way that helps them instantly
recognise the inherent value. Information
should conform to the preferred timing,
presentation styles and standards; delivery
methods need to be appropriate to the
target audience and the output should
result in instant comprehension and instinctive
movement through the information.
Drive People to Action
The main objective
of any Business Intetelligence solution
and the most commonly overlooked.
The culmination of our methodology is
to ensure that the information that the
system eventually contains is presented
to consumers in a way that will lead to
instant decisions. If a system has been
designed from the ground up to answer
business questions, the final step is
to ensure that the information and knowledge
delivered is instantly understood and
acted upon. The action might be making
a business decision; contacting someone,
resolving to do something specific or
simply asking another deeper question.
