(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.

Many companies see the need for effective communication for business intelligence professionals, but they often fail to provide the opportunities to focus on the skills required to achieve it.

Darren was furious! Bob had committed to finishing the business requirements by Tuesday, and as of Thursday, it still wasn’t done. In their meeting with their CFO [...]

If you’re a manager, director, vice president, or even the president of your company, I have a simple question for you. Who is responsible for the success of your team and/or organization? Most of you have probably responded, “That’s easy, we all are – after all, I can’t do it myself!” Good answer. Unfortunately, in practice, research shows that people in a managerial or leadership role regularly take on too much responsibility for the success of their areas, and this predictable behavior has its consequences. Those at the top of the “system,” whether we define the system as being a business intelligence (BI) team, a task force, a division, or even the entire organization, often feel burdened, exhausted, and overwhelmed. And what’s worse, their behavior may be limiting the success of their team.

Maureen Clarry presents the top tips for working with an internal or external recruiter to find new people for your business intelligence team.

Sustainable business intelligence organizations create adaptive structures that promote shared commitment and continually focus on delivering business value.

Organizing a data warehousing team can be tricky business, even for relatively simple projects. Technical and managerial challenges abound, and the frenetic pace of corporate life can make weeks seem like days. As with any IT project, the key is to judiciously employ a sound methodology. This article outlines one such step-by-step process for building and organizing DW teams, including several best practices we’ve developed over the years.

One word that dominates discussions about business intelligence and data warehousing these days is “partnership.” Go to any TDWI conference or seminar and you’ll surely hear conversations revolving around this seemingly simple concept. Yet, so many organizations still endure significant difficulty in building lasting partnerships. Why?

Last month’s article on hiring Business Intelligence (BI) professionals sparked interest in better understanding roles and responsibilities in BI teams. Although every organization is different, the following descriptions may be useful to BI professionals as they attempt to define and/or redefine roles. Roles typically depend on the maturity of the organization, size of the team, skill sets available on the team, and organizational culture.

Part 1 of this series on roles and responsibilities in business intelligence (BI) teams focused on program roles. Although every organization is different, roles typically depend on the maturity of the organization, size of the team, skill sets available on the team, and organizational culture. Roles do not necessarily correlate to individuals; a person could do more than one role, or roles could be shared between individuals.

In the broadest context, tasks associated with roles should be focused on the two dimensions of program and project. This article will focus on project roles.