Seven important steps to take when considering a BI implementation
An effective business intelligence (BI) implementation can generate significant business performance improvements. Once an organization decides to make decisions based on data and creates a culture where that is expected, it can make better decisions.However you may be struggling with how to begin; that is common. Following are seven important steps to take when considering a BI implementation.
1. Define the business case
What is the mission of the BI implementation? Why are we doing it? Effective BI will help with long-term business planning as well as short-term tactical management. It is important to define the outcomes expected and how they will be measured.
2. Establish executive support
Executive support is not optional, especially since the executives themselves will be using the results of the project, i.e. the analytics and reports that will be available. Moving toward a data-driven company will be a cultural change that requires executive support.
3. Set up for change management
Communication to the organization, training and process changes need to be thought through. Identifying how decisions will be made in the new data driven culture should be defined.
4. Define the business intelligence strategy
What is your BI strategy? The strategy should address how processes, technologies and roles will be different. The BI strategy should be defined within the context of the overall company strategy.
5. Establish the BI architecture
Will BI be a component of a larger project, or will it be self-standing? As a BI consulting firm, we have seen successes both ways. The architecture should fit within the overall IT architecture, and address topics like data governance, data security and information access.
6. Understand your current state
Understanding the current state of your business intelligence processes, capabilities and technologies, the quality of existing data and reports and the extent to which managers currently trust and use the data will set the stage for defining what improvements are required.
7. Define the vision and timeline
What should the future look like and how can we get there? Setting achievable milestones within the context of the vision will help build commitment and energy.
If you are more interested in knowing more about the Business Intelligence strategy, best practices and managing data before data manages you, Contact us.