Address the Challenges and Enjoy the Benefits of Self-Serve BI Tools!
If you are a business manager, senior executive, IT professional or analytical professional, you are probably well aware of the emergence of business intelligence solutions, BI tools and augmented analytics for business users. In all likelihood, you have been hearing about these trends in annual conference and industry journals. If your business has not yet adopted such an initiative, it is likely to do so within the next year. But it might surprise you to know that, world renowned technology research firm, Gartner, predicts that ‘By 2022, augmented analytics will be ubiquitous, but only 10% of users will use it to its full potential.’ Given the focus and effort invested in business intelligence and augmented analytics, this prediction is disappointing, but understandable.
‘With complete insight, and all users on the same page, the organization will be more productive and can do more with less.’
There are numerous reasons for this ‘failure to launch’. In this article, we will focus on the top three challenges and the top three benefits of self-serve business intelligence.
TOP THREE CHALLENGES
Enterprise Support
It isn’t enough to make a decision and to declare that the business will invest in self-serve business intelligence. If a business is to succeed, there must be an understanding of the challenges. Not the least of these challenges if the existing culture and expectations at every level, including management, users, IT, HR, etc. As with any major change in an organization, it is important to educate the team on what, why and how, and to listen to concerns and address those concerns in the implementation plan. Enterprise support for new initiatives must also include a thorough review of business processes, training and other factors that will affect success and a commitment to review and change the culture to support the new techniques and solutions.
User Adoption
Business users are a large part of the picture and, without their understanding of the need for and importance of this new approach, it is impossible to succeed. Self-serve BI tools and augmented analytics are designed for business users, so the organization need not worry about the need for additional training, but users with less than stellar technical skills and users who are ‘afraid’ of data, will need some additional support. The user community must also see that the organization is committed and has illustrated that commitment with new forms of employee evaluation that include the use of data to support recommendations and a willingness to embrace the new techniques and technology. In order to ensure user adoption, the organization must also take care to choose the right solution – one that will support data democratization and self-serve BI with user-friendly tools.
Organizational Infrastructure
A business that is considering business intelligence for business users must work with its IT team or an IT consultant to review and address infrastructure, hardware, and network concerns and to plan for Mobile BI to encourage users by making these new tools accessible from inside and outside the office.
If a business is willing to plan for and address concerns and issues, it will achieve many benefits. Here are three primary benefits of self-serve BI tools and data democratization.
TOP THREE BENEFITS
ROI and TCO
With a well-planned implementation of self-serve BI tools, the business can achieve an impressive return on investment (ROI) and control costs with a low cost of total ownership (TCO). If the business is to succeed with this type of initiative, it must choose the right solution to assure affordable use and upgrades.
Refined Results
The value of fact-based decision making cannot be overstated. Business users and executives will no longer have to depend on opinion or guesswork to make decisions, so there will be few missteps in the market and the organization will be nimble in its response to customer demand and to the changing market. With complete insight, and all users on the same page, the organization will be more productive and can do more with less.
Competitive Advantage
A business that has a well-trained, informed staff and a seamless approach to data management, is better positioned and able to address the rapidly changing market and can gain a competitive advantage.
‘If your business has not yet adopted…a self-serve BI…initiative, it is likely to do so within the next year.’
Find out how Self-Serve Business Intelligence Tools and Augmented Analytics can improve your business results. Let us help you achieve your vision and improve productivity and insight across the organization.
Original Post : Plan for Success and the Benefits of Self-Serve BI
