{"id":9702,"date":"2015-11-24T10:45:05","date_gmt":"2015-11-24T16:45:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/?p=9702"},"modified":"2015-11-24T10:52:59","modified_gmt":"2015-11-24T16:52:59","slug":"6-warning-signs-that-you-need-better-business-intelligence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/2015\/11\/6-warning-signs-that-you-need-better-business-intelligence\/","title":{"rendered":"6 warning signs that you need better Business Intelligence"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Education\"Summary: Every day, businesses suffer from the effects of bad or outdated Business Intelligence. These outdated BI tools\/practices waste precious time, harm decision-making, and keep these companies from truly taking advantage of their data. Fortunately, bad BI tools\/processes display many warning signs. These warning signs will help alert you to a problem, and keep that problem from spiraling out of control. Do you notice any of these warning signs in your business? <\/em><\/span>
\n<\/a>
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photo credit: StockSnap<\/a> via pixabay<\/a> cc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/p>\n

If you own a car, it has most likely given you a warning sign at one point or another. Maybe it displayed a warning light on your dashboard. Maybe it began idling roughly. Or, maybe the brakes started squeaking one day. <\/p>\n

When these warning signs appear, what do you do? Do you ignore them and hope they go away? Or, do you take it to the mechanic and get it fixed? Of course, you get it fixed (I hope). Ignoring those warning signs will eventually leave you stranded by the side of the road.<\/p>\n

I bring up this analogy because it applies nicely to Business Intelligence (BI). Around the world, many companies use Business Intelligence that needs replacing. In some cases, faulty BI processes slow them down. In other cases, outdated BI tools waste time and keep them from capitalizing on their data.<\/p>\n

The good news: Just like a car, outdated BI displays warning signs. If you pay attention, these warning signs can save you from larger problems down the road. <\/p>\n

The problem: Many companies don\u2019t recognize these signs. <\/strong><\/p>\n

What are the warning signs of bad BI? Today, let\u2019s answer that question. Here are a few warning signs that you need better Business Intelligence:<\/p>\n

1. Creating reports is time consuming<\/h3>\n

We live in an increasingly data-driven world. Your ability to turn your data into meaningful management information plays a larger role on your business than ever before. <\/p>\n

The question: How long does this process take? As explained below, if the answer is anything more than \u201cminutes or hours\u201d, there\u2019s a problem. <\/p>\n

\n\u201cProbably the biggest warning sign is based on the amount of time being spent \u201cmanually\u201d preparing reports or charts,\u201d says Dr Alan McCabe, Deputy Chief Operating Officer at Software Group<\/span><\/a>. \u201cIf it\u2019s time consuming or labor intensive to get the information you need (for example, if someone spends the best part of a week at the end of each month preparing reports, consolidating multiple spreadsheets, different data sources etc.), then this is a big fat warning sign.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

2. Reporting runs through a single department<\/h3>\n
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photo credit: geralt<\/a> via pixabay<\/a> cc<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A similar problem that we see far too often: Reporting runs through a single department (usually the IT department). In the past, this process made sense. After all, creating reports required a fair amount of technical skill. Users couldn\u2019t do this on their own.<\/p>\n

These days, that\u2019s no longer the case. With the availability of end-user reporting options, there\u2019s really no need for a single department to handle reporting. However, this still happens in many businesses–a problem that wastes time for all involved.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIf users still submit reporting requests to a single department, that\u2019s a warning sign of bad BI,\u201d says Rick Hurckes, Services Director at mrc<\/span><\/a>. \u201cWhen reporting goes through one department, it creates a bottleneck that wastes everyone\u2019s time. The users wait days for their reports, and the report creator gets overwhelmed with reporting and report customization requests. A modern BI solution should deliver self-service capabilities to the end users.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

3. People have stopped asking for more\/different information<\/h3>\n

One huge advantage offered by a good BI solution: It promotes questions. Because data is so easily analyzed, users begin asking (and answering) new questions about the business. These types of activities lead to a data-driven culture, where employees use data to improve the business.<\/p>\n

The opposite is also true. If users have no easy way to analyze data, the conversation changes. How so? As explained below, the conversation revolves around BI complaints rather than data.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIf most of the conversations about BI are about how expensive and slow it is, or how unresponsive IT is, and nobody is asking for new questions to be answered, you are in trouble,\u201d explains Gene Connolly, President\/Principal Consultant at Connolly Consultants LLC<\/span><\/a>.\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

4. You have no way to easily visualize data<\/h3>\n

\"MultiLet me ask you a question. What is easier to understand: A table full of data or a graph? Which one communicates the data faster? <\/p>\n

Of course, the graph does. Data visualizations not only make it easier to understand data, they help you see things that aren\u2019t obvious when looking at rows and rows of data. <\/p>\n

The big question: How easily can you visualize data using your current BI methods? If creating data visualizations is a big deal, that\u2019s a warning sign.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cLooking through spreadsheets, tables or \u201cwalls\u201d of numbers comes naturally to some people, but for the vast majority it\u2019s very difficult to identify trends or issues from a page full of numbers,\u201d says McCabe. \u201cVisualisation tools such as simple charts, dashboards, gauges or maps make it possible to identify trouble spots, potential issues or worrying trends instantly, and ultimately make your BI practices vastly more effective and efficient.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

5. You have no built-in drill-down and drill-up capabilities<\/h3>\n

Your BI solution must let you explore your data as needed. It starts you off with a high level view of your data, and lets you drill deeper to the most minute details. <\/p>\n

Why is this so important? Without this capability, your BI doesn\u2019t offer much value. It will give you the \u201cwhat\u201d, but not the \u201cwhy.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIn a scenario where your BI tools allow to you identify a problem (for example a region where your staff performance is abnormally low), users should be able to immediately \u201cdrill down\u201d and look at the details that contribute to that region (e.g. is this poor regional performance just due to one or two poorly performing staff who could be re-trained or moved on?),\u201d explains McCabe. \u201cIf users are unable to drill down and instead have to access another report, or worse, another system, then the odds of them doing so and quickly implementing solutions drop dramatically.\u201d\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

6. You can’t identify who “owns” BI<\/h3>\n

It\u2019s a common problem: Many people get involved during the implementation phase of a BI solution. But, after it\u2019s rolled out, no one owns it. Everyone thinks another department is in charge, and the BI solution stagnates.<\/p>\n

The problem: Without clear ownership, BI will never succeed. This doesn\u2019t necessarily mean you need a new tool. Rather, it\u2019s a call for a better BI process. If you want to get the most out of your BI solution, you need a clear \u201cowner\u201d who will ensure that it succeeds.<\/p>\n

\n\u201cIT put it in because they thought they should, but doesn’t have a business strategy for BI,\u201d says Connolly. \u201cNo one outside of IT has a BI strategy, and thinks IT should. You built it, but they didn’t come. Time to reboot and get the basics in place regarding accountability and a strategy to generate measurable business value with a BI investment.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Summary<\/h3>\n

Now, these are just a few warning signs of bad BI tools\/processes, but the list could go on. If you would like to add anything to this list, I\u2019d love to hear it. Feel free to share in the comments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Summary: Every day, businesses suffer from the effects of bad or outdated Business Intelligence. These outdated BI tools\/practices waste precious time, harm decision-making, and keep these companies from truly taking advantage of their data. Fortunately, bad BI tools\/processes display many warning signs. These warning signs will help alert you to a problem, and keep that …<\/p>\n

6 warning signs that you need better Business Intelligence<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","slim_seo":{"title":"6 warning signs that you need better Business Intelligence - mrc's Cup of Joe Blog","description":"Summary: Every day, businesses suffer from the effects of bad or outdated Business Intelligence. These outdated BI tools\/practices waste precious time, harm dec"},"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[10],"class_list":["post-9702","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-education","tag-business-intelligence"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9702","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9702"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9702\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9710,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9702\/revisions\/9710"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9702"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9702"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrc-productivity.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9702"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}