Aligning your company’s business intelligence initiatives with overall corporate strategy makes complete sense. Few would argue against such an intuitive approach, especially as articulated by Robert Kaplan, father of the proverbial Balanced Scorecard. Yet a quick review of the real world reminds us how often we defy such thoughtful strategy and instead play things by ear.
Between September and December of 2008, Gartner surveyed 1,527 CIO’s worldwide. In their report, “Meeting the Challenge: The 2009 CIO Agenda,” it is clear that Information Technology (IT) plays a critical role in the enterprise, especially in this uncertain economy. There are also some interesting implications to consider relative to Business Intelligence (BI) initiatives.
In BI and data warehousing organizations, there is a pattern of dissatisfied internal customers and siloed organizations. What is going on? The customer waits. “When will IT finally get their act together and deliver? Why don’t they serve me? Why don’t they understand what I want? I am the reason they exist…they don’t get it!”
. . . as a BI leader, you are not elected; you are in a position of management authority, but do people perform as you want them to simply because you force them? Somehow you must motivate them. Motivation comes from a connection between vision and our role in that vision. Whether it’s the vision of America that candidates present to constituents or the vision of the business impact of BI, people are often motivated to be part of something larger than themselves.
(Originally published by B-Eye-Network) by Todd Saunders
A very common situation faced by consulting and project teams is the addition of a new team member after the project is already underway. There are a variety of reasons for this situation: the project plan called for the addition of a resource at this point in the project, [...]
To be successful in business intelligence, system sight should be one of your key competencies.
The business intelligence world is dominated by the word “systems.” We have source systems, operational systems, ETL systems, database systems, application systems, data warehouse systems, reporting systems, analytic systems and business intelligence systems. But the “system” that tends to be most misunderstood and challenging for most people is the organizational “system” that we live in.
One strategy to improve the effectiveness of business intelligence teams is to increase the clarity of roles and responsibilities.
Like business intelligence (BI) initiatives, BI teams have a maturity lifecycle. And like BI initiatives, you can expect different activities and milestones at each stage. Tight timelines and limited resources can exacerbate the challenges at each phase and adversely impact communication, decision-making, conflict management, productivity, and retention.
February 2009. Headlines indicate that U.S. banks are stable and lending has increased. The stock market is up. Pay increased 3% in the 4th quarter and profits and productivity continue to rise. The amount of work moving offshore is decreasing and the U.S. has among the highest rates of employment in the world.
Where were these headlines published? Truth be told, they are not current headlines. However, reflect for a moment about why these particular headlines might have grabbed your attention. How did it make you feel and what did you think about?
There are a variety of business intelligence (BI) platforms that have been successful over time. The list of products and vendors is ever-changing and is the topic of many discussions and articles. However, there are two other types of non-technical “platforms” that may propel or inhibit your success in business intelligence. They are central to your ability to change and manage change in your organization.