5 Practical Steps for Business Intelligence Excellence

After speaking to numerous data professionals, I’m a bit amazed at how many companies both large and small are still using rudimentary business intelligence tools and platforms. However, it is relieving that many of them are in the early phases of building or implementing more advanced BI tools or platforms. So, with budgets in hand and a short list of vendors in mind, data professionals must think about how to move forward with their project road maps to create a business intelligence center of excellence (COE) that will return value immediately after the projects are completed.

This means there is little room for mistakes and long project pauses will ensure repercussions from the powers that be. How to avoid this? I recently stumbled upon a practical and applicable article called “5 ways to build a business intelligence Centre of Excellence” which documents the experiences of speaker, Paul Banoub, UBS Investment Bank’s director of BI services, at Data Leadership 2014.

Paul Banoub has been constructing and managing IT services at big enterprises for the last 12 years and is currently helping to build a data visualization COE on Tableau Software for a top investment bank in London. He shared his experiences with 5 simple concepts which I’ve summarized for you below.

1. Choose the right tools

There are many business intelligence tools out there but you should always look for agility and ease of use because truth be told, most of your users won’t take the time to learn the tool by reading documents or attending training sessions. They will want to turn on the application and get started right away, so finding a user-friendly intuitive business intelligence application is more imperative than having a tool loaded with features that few people will ever use.

2. Choose the right partners

It’s not just about the tool. Choosing the right vendor is just as important. Here are some qualities to look for in a great partner.

1. They participate in industry events
2. Managers and support teams try to get to know you
3. Regular enhancements to tools which you can find over forums
4. They offer training, demos, and Q&A sessions

3. Build your service for ease of use

This is different from concept number #1. Building your service for ease of use includes getting rid of the red tape/bureaucracy and making the business intelligence COE as easy as possible to support.

4. Don’t sit back and admire

Think about how you are going to expand your service offerings for power users by having a forward looking business intelligence vision.

5. Focus on community

Get support from your users by ensuring that they are getting what they want. Communication and open channels will go a long way.

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