Strategy is a big part of life in so many ways.
Take the planet's most popular sport, football or soccer, the rules and
gameplay are relatively simple, but the strategy is extremely complex.
Depending on who's on the field and their particular skills, the coaches
must choose between many different formations and tactics, and no matter
how talented a player may be, they'll only perform their best if they have a
solid understanding of football strategy, such as being able to identify
the precise moment to shoot or when to pass instead.
The game of chess is also all about strategy, each piece has a distinctive
way of moving, such as a rook shifting horizontally or vertically across the
board, a knight jumping over other pieces, or the powerful queen going
pretty much anywhere she wants.
Mathematicians have actually proven that there are more potential chess game
variations than atoms in the universe, and with so many possible outcomes,
having a clear strategy is absolutely essential to creating a winning game
plan. Well, creating a winning strategy is also a big part of BI.
You may recall learning about data strategy, which is the management of the
people, processes and tools used in data analysis.
Similarly, business intelligence strategy is the management of the
people, processes, and tools, used in the business intelligence process.
As you're discovering BI is complex, and it requires a 360-degree view of the
organization. Thoughtful preparation through effective strategy is a must.
In this video, we'll explore how that works.
Let's start with people.
The most important thing here is to make sure people are working together in
a positive way.
Sometimes several departments in a company are using BI, but the processes
are siloed, meaning they lack communication and collaboration.
Maybe the sales team doesn't have access to important marketing data, or
human resources is tracking valuable employee data, but only for their own
internal purposes.
So the first thing to do is simply communicate with all of the team members
and stakeholders who are involved, include people from all levels of the
organization, so you get many diverse perspectives.
Begin by asking them some key questions, such as are our BI teams and
professionals coordinated?
Is there any overlap among their functions?
Who should be responsible for establishing the rules and policies that
govern BI processes?
Note that BI governance involves defining and implementing BI systems and
frameworks within an organization.
This is different from the concept of data governance, which you may know is a
process for ensuring the formal management of a company's data assets.
Now, most importantly, in the People step, be sure to ask about the vision
for the BI process, and how does that vision align with current business
strategy. A vision specifies your desired outcome, such as winning the
football game or chess match.
The second element of BI strategy is Process.
By now you've established who will be responsible for the rules and policies
that govern BI processes, so some questions to ask these people include,
what solutions are we using and how?
Which of them bring value?
What types of solutions do we plan to implement?
How will we deliver them?
How will we support them?
In addition, having a user support framework is a critical part of the
process, so be sure to dedicate enough time in training and education, a
feedback system, and ensuring users are getting value from the tools.
Which brings us to the tools part of BI strategy.
One of the most important concepts to note here is to choose each tool with
the user in mind.
Consider which dashboards, reports, and other solutions will be most effective.
Ask, do different users, teams, and departments require different
technologies? Which technologies do we have access to?
Can we gain access to others if needed?
How will we measure success?
Here, you'll want to establish key performance indicators.
or KPIs, for each particular business need.
Soon, you'll learn a lot more about KPIs, and explore how organizations use
them to achieve objectives every day, but for now, just understand that a KPI
is a quantifiable value closely linked to business strategy, which is used to
track progress towards a goal.
In other words, KPIs direct you towards achieving your desired results, but in
order for KPIs to do their job, it's important that the tools you select
align with the KPIs established for each particular project.
The last step in this process is documenting everything you've learned.
Many BI professionals use specific BI documents to note stakeholder
requirements, project requirements, and strategy.
These are essential tools that can really help you capture the big picture,
stay organized, and make an impact at your organization.
You'll learn exactly how to create these documents in an upcoming reading.
Then, during the portfolio project, you'll make some of your own.
As a final point, keep in mind that your particular level of involvement in
BI strategy will vary, depending on the size and structure of your business and
team, but having a broad understanding of all the elements involved is a
valuable asset for any BI professional.