{"id":8946,"date":"2015-03-10T10:15:40","date_gmt":"2015-03-10T15:15:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/?p=8946"},"modified":"2022-11-22T13:57:18","modified_gmt":"2022-11-22T19:57:18","slug":"7-practical-ways-to-improve-bi-user-adoption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2015\/03\/7-practical-ways-to-improve-bi-user-adoption\/","title":{"rendered":"7 practical ways to improve BI user adoption"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Education\"Summary: Businesses are purchasing Business Intelligence software at a record pace. Over a 5-year span, the BI market is expected to increase 10x. But, user adoption of these BI tools remains low. What practical steps can you take to improve BI user adoption, and make the most out of your investment?<\/em><\/span>
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\nBusiness Intelligence is booming. In 2013<\/span><\/a>, businesses spent $14 Billion on Business Intelligence software. By 2018, analysts predict<\/span> that number will balloon to $114 Billion. <\/p>\n

Why are we seeing such massive growth?<\/p>\n

It goes hand-in-hand with the growth of data. It\u2019s estimated that the world\u2019s data is doubling every two years. With this data explosion, more businesses are turning to BI tools. These BI tools help them make sense of this data, and turn it into a competitive advantage.<\/p>\n

The only problem: BI user adoption rates remain flat. A recent study<\/span> puts BI adoption among employees at 22%. <\/p>\n

In other words, businesses are investing in BI solutions more than ever before. Yet, users still aren\u2019t using the solutions. That\u2019s a problem.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s the solution? How can you improve BI user adoption? Today, let\u2019s focus on fixing that problem. Here are a few ways to improve BI user adoption: <\/p>\n

1. Start with the right questions<\/h3>\n
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photo credit: Tsahi Levent-Levi<\/a> via photopin<\/a> cc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

First and foremost, ask yourself these questions: What\u2019s driving your BI software purchase? Is it business-centered, or is it product-centered? <\/p>\n

What\u2019s the difference? <\/p>\n

A business-centered decision starts with a business objective. It looks for software to solve that business objective. <\/p>\n

A product-centered decision starts with the software. It tries to make the software fit the business.<\/p>\n

Product-centered decisions create poor user adoption because they start with the wrong goals. You\u2019re forcing software on the users, rather than giving them a solution they requested. If you give users software they didn\u2019t ask for, or that doesn\u2019t solve a problem, they won\u2019t use it. <\/p>\n

\n\u201cMost of the time the decision makers in a business commit the cardinal mistake regarding BI: They let the capabilities of the BI software drive the whole BI program instead of expecting the BI software to assist them in achieve their own business objectives,\u201d explains Dr. Vasudeva Akula, CEO of VOZIQ<\/span><\/a>. \u201cThis leads to a situation where the teams start chasing KPIs which do not translate into real gains for the business.. Ultimately, this leads to hype at the start of the program and lack of real adoption 6 months to a year after the launch as users realize it’s not helping them in driving better decisions.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. Start small<\/h3>\n

Another reason users don\u2019t adopt BI tools: they get overwhelmed. Think about it. What process do you take when rolling out new software? <\/p>\n

For many companies, it goes something like this: <\/p>\n