Fresh Business Intelligence Data is Key to Confident Decisions.
Here’s what I know about Business Intelligence: Old or incomplete information does not constitute intelligence – what it does is to result in decisions that are sometimes wrong and nearly always misleading. When we provide a business intelligence tool that ties the hands of business users; when we give business users tools and dashboards that are designed by IT or analysts and assume comprehensive knowledge of user needs, we give our business users the wrong kind of tools!
Since it is the prerogative of a consultant to question and modify predominant jargon, I am hatting (yes, this too is an English word) …I am hatting myself in the hat of a consultant this morning, and I am questioning the application of the term “
Consider the time and effort involved in the ‘old world’ of business intelligence data preparation! How on earth did we ever get anything done? Armies of data analysts and IT staff slaving over data, compiling, analyzing, graphing, charting, taking requests from managers and users and engaging in an endless exchange and interaction to assure that the requirements are understood and met. By the time the data analysis was delivered, it was old, sometimes incomplete and perhaps delivered in a form that might be misinterpreted by its audience.
Social networks and social media are ubiquitous! Every aspect of modern life (personal and business) involves sharing and social interaction, whether one is broadcasting information about a recent family event, posting a picture, asking opinions at work or promoting a new product or event.In the old days, team members and employees shared and discussed information at the water cooler or in the cafeteria.
Can your eyes be smart? This might seem like a silly question. After all, your eyes don’t have their own intelligence. They depend on your brain to untangle and figure out the solution to a problem and to translate what the eye takes in and make it something you can understand. The ‘ah hah’ moment doesn’t come from the eyes. It comes from the brain, right?
Let’s talk about the application of social media and social networking within the Business Intelligence environment. This might seem like an odd concept but give it some thought. Every consumer and business user is now used to the idea that they can share, rate, discuss and learn from others. This idea has become an expectation and it could and should apply to Business Intelligence and to your business users as well!
