Modern companies are increasingly harnessing the power of analytic software solutions to help executives to rapidly understand complex environments and make more informed decisions. However, while business intelligence software solutions have matured, the reality is that their effectiveness is directly linked to the project deployment methodology and the ability of managers to understand and apply the software tools within the context of their responsibilities and job descriptions.
Vera Chaplin, Services Manager at Synergy Computing, the BI specialist, says there are many different aspects to successfully deploying and running BI projects in the corporate environment, all of which are equally important if true value is to be realised.
"With its maturity, the software is the simple part of the solution. The real value that is released through the use of BI solutions lies in how the software is implemented, the time savings and insight into business drivers that is gained by the people who will use it," she says.
BI projects, she contends, can be very different from other technology-related implementations; in order to deliver real value, such projects have to encompass closer co-operation between a wider team of individuals.
"It's not traditional IT; user requirements are often not well defined and need to be coaxed out of users; business requirements change rapidly and continuously, and partial solutions must be delivered quickly, frequently and on a regular basis to encourage faith in the ability of the BI system to deliver value," she says.
Maximising that value is a cornerstone of a new training course that Chaplin says Synergy has designed. Called 'Putting BI to Work', the course draws on Synergy's extensive experience in providing working BI solutions for companies in diverse sectors - including telecommunications, financial services, and various industrial and FMCG sectors.
As such, Chaplin says the individuals who must be included in the successful project fall into four key roles which must be fulfilled - those of the project manager, public relations/communications and training [critical to address the commonly encountered issues of user acceptance], the business analyst, and the technical development team.
"In our experience across hundreds of enterprise BI deployments, it is practical solutions rather than theoretical approaches across each of these roles that allow organisations to rapidly achieve success with enterprise BI solutions," says Gillian Staniland, Senior Consultant at Synergy Computing, who delivers the new course.
"BI consultants, analysts, managers and project leaders need the appropriate knowledge to plan, build and deploy cost-effective, flexible and successful enterprise BI applications - and with changing business needs, these individuals should have the ability to use the BI system flexibly to support different requirements, and this is what the new course focuses on."
By creating an improved understanding of how BI delivers value to the business, by looking closely at the team requirements, extracting user requirements and providing an overview of data warehouse design, those using the system can appreciate the underlying principles and how these affect the results of analysis.
"User ability is often the weak point in effective BI; in our experience, optimal value from BI investments is best realised if the users of the system have the appropriate understanding of and skills to use the analytic tools properly. With deep user involvement in the establishing the requirements for the system through an iterative process of continual refinement, together with the delivery of early and frequent returns on investment, a high level of enduring value is created in the BI solution," Chaplin concludes.
The next "Putting BI to work" training courses will run in Cape Town on 22 and 23 November and in Johannesburg on 6 and 7 December. For more information, visit www.synergy.co.za or call Vera on 021 685 7809 or Adele on 011 807 4861.
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Synergy Computing designs, implements and supports enterprise-wide business intelligence solutions from data extraction to corporate performance management automation.
The company's expertise is founded on more than 25 years of providing strategic information advantage. Its national presence is supported by offices in Johannesburg, Cape Town and Durban.
Synergy Computing is 81.5% owned by JSE-listed black investment company, Sekunajalo.
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