Business Intelligence: Success Made Simple
At IWI Consulting, we want your business intelligence programs to be successful. BI is more than software; it’s a way of thinking about your business. To help you make your business intelligence projects a smashing success, we’ve put together a resource for you.
Seven Tips to Make Your BI Program a Smashing Success
Implementing any new business technology can be challenging. There’s a learning curve as people get used to the new technology and, no matter how simple and user-friendly the technology, people do need time to get used to it. Others may find themselves overwhelmed with the riches of information now available through good business intelligence systems.
If you’re among either camp, or you’re in charge of implementing a new business intelligence solution for your company, the following seven tips will help you get your new business intelligence project off the ground and running:
- Leverage existing information and structures: Your new BI system should have integrated with existing structures such as your ERP system. You can leverage existing training resources, templates, reports, and more as much as possible with the new system. Why reinvent the wheel when you already have great materials? Use as much as you can to get your new BI solution off to a strong start.
- Stay simple: The simpler, the better, as far as technology launches go. Focus on simplifying your business intelligence system so that it is so easy anyone can begin using it quickly. Test the system with many different people within your organization to see where any troublesome spots are and to provide the appropriate training to help people over those spots.
- Don’t over-complicate things: Along with keeping the system itself simple, don’t over-complicate reports. Begin by using the least number of reports necessary to get the information you need for improvement. Add reports and features as you need them. Avoid bogging down the project by demanding too much customization from the start.
- Keep it accessible: Successful business intelligence systems must be accessible to many throughout the organization. Avoid concentrating access to the BI system through one employee. This can create information bottlenecks. Instead, allow access to information through multiple people. You may wish to limit inputs into the system to ensure consistency, but accessing the information and running reports should be available to a larger group in your company.
- Get it done: Make sure that your BI implementation project moves along and meets its milestones and timelines. Nothing is more frustrating to employees than getting excited by a new project, then finding their excitement dwindling as projects are reprioritized. Keep your business intelligence project in the forefront and devote adequate time to completing it so that you can get it done on time and keep the positive momentum flowing.
- Focus on problem-solving: It’s tempting to think about your BI system as a useful tool for many different issues in your company. BI systems excel at providing data for problem-solving. Focus on specific problems at first, and target your BI work to finding the data that provides useful insights to help you solve the problems.
- Train your teams: Lastly, don’t launch a BI program without adequate team training. Groups should be trained on the specific functions they will use in the business intelligence system. You may also wish to designate BI “champions” within the organization who can spearhead specific initiatives and problem-solving efforts, or answer questions related to the BI system’s use.
Choosing a BI System: Sage Enterprise Intelligence
When it comes time to choose a business intelligence system, Sage Enterprise Intelligence offers many benefits. It integrates well with other Sage systems and offers an intuitive dashboard that many people can begin using quickly. More importantly, it brings multiple silos together into one intelligence dashboard for robust reports.
IWI Consulting Group offers business assistance choosing the right Sage products for their needs. We can help you convert your company’s systems into a single, integrated solution that supports your business and enhances productivity. Contact us today for a consultation. Call 1-866-916-3851.