Forget lengthy analyses, planning, and going too big all at once; rapid prototyping in small chunks is the key to succeeding in business intelligence (BI), says Paul Morgan, MD of BI and data management solutions provider, Asyst Intelligence.
“The longer spent in the analysis and planning phases of BI, the more time it will take until tangible, real-life examples of BI can be given,” he adds. “The aim is to deliver dashboards, reports, and queries as soon as possible to keep the momentum going or interest will wane.”
Instead of drowning in complicated analyses of the past three months' sales figures, Morgan advises users to create and deliver a simple dashboard of the sales figures of the past week.
“By doing this, users have a tangible example to refer to, and can decide whether their expectations have been met before going any further. Start with areas where the most value and quick wins can be derived.
“Aside from winning their interest and keeping the momentum going, this strategy assists in defining the data architecture by offering a meaningful point of departure for identifying the main priorities and working out the drivers that will help users to live up to the organisation's grand strategy,” Morgan adds.
Strategic planning
Other advantages of the rapid prototyping approach, says Morgan, include companies being able to identify early on what type of data they need and what systems they must have in place to support that data.
“This approach helps to inform what sort of information and systems are needed to deliver the output that is required. It also allows companies to adapt their strategy to meet their changing requirements as they go along,” comments Morgan.
He stresses, however, that this approach does not mean no planning is required.
“As a starting point, the BI strategy must deal with where the data is going to come from, how that data is going to be integrated, and how data quality will be ensured, which requires planning,” he explains.
Education and awareness must also form part of the strategy, and people at all levels of the business must be onboard and support the effort to create an intelligent enterprise, Morgan adds.
“Companies often focus intensely on the technical side of an implementation, when they should be focusing on the business needs first. Once the business needs are established, the necessary structures can be put in place to support those needs in line with organisational strategy.”
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