For example, this heat map makes it obvious that Session C was the least popular event in this conference – but notice also that the range of scores is fairly close together.  In this example, attendees used a 5 point scale, with 1 being the least favorable score and 5 being the most favorable score.   Seeing that the lowest average score was above 4 tells us that, overall, attendees were quite happy with this conference.

A heatmap showing how each individual session was rated along multiple criteria -- click on the picture to enlarge it

Of course we also want to understand what worked well and what didn’t work so well.  Let us take a more detailed look at Session C.

Click the picture to enlarge it

Very quickly we can tell that the audience was critical of the session content and how it was presented rather than the speaker’s knowledge about the subject.  More than 90% felt that the speaker had an adequate background to present on this topic.  But less than 75% were happy with the way the information was presented and how it related to their job. A few people awarded low scores of 2 and 1, but it is encouraging that these low scores came from fewer than 10% of the audience members.

Just to provide a contrast, let’s also take a look at Session B, clearly the favorite of this event.

Individual Scores for Session B

There is no doubt that the audience rated this Session very highly across the board: 74% or more audience members awarded it the highest score across all measures.  Notice that this session, too, received a handful of low scores.

As we can see here, sometimes we only need a few pictures to gain useful insights.   No doubt, if this were a more involved customer survey, we would need more and very likely different graphs to discern the finer points of attitudes and perceptions — especially when such information is tracked over time.  But pictures like these are a good start to find out where to focus such additional efforts.

Working smarter can be accomplished by

• Streamlining processes
• Automating routine tasks
• Reducing errors
• Letting go of less important tasks
• Finding someone with the right skills to do the job.

In this article we will take a look at how to meet increasing demands without simply doing more work.

Streamlining Processes

Most of us easily recognize this scenario: a BI manager is asked to provide a “quick analysis” to answer a burning business question.  Sometime later the manager is asked to update the results of this “quick analysis” and before you know it the one-time “quick analysis” turns into a regular report.

Chances are good that the manager initially did not worry too much about how efficiently the analysis was done, as long as the results could be delivered quickly.  Chances are equally good, that the process for performing this “quick analysis” can be streamlined to consume less time and resources.

Some ways in which we can streamline processes include:

• Having data in a more useful format
• Pre-calculating certain results and storing them where they can be easily retrieved
• Employing technologies like dashboards and pivot tables to quickly retrieve different views of the data.

If the requested analysis requires significant effort, one should also review the entire process from data collection to processing to producing output.  Chances are good that some tasks in that process can be done more efficiently or that by reorganizing the process itself we can save time and effort.  If certain tasks have to be repeated over and over again they become a candidate for automation.

Automating Routine Tasks

Our article about comparing a product against competitors with multiple indications provides an excellent case study for automating routine tasks.  In that scenario, product units have to be converted into more useful information, taking into account how and where products are used.  To account for all this, raw units have to be factored each time new unit data becomes available – a tedious task which is also prone to human error.

Unlike humans, computers excel at processing routine and tedious tasks, so why not give them that job?

Reducing Errors

The more critical the information, the more questions will be asked.  This axiom lies at the root of many BI headaches and its impact snowballs when errors occur.  Each error we find chips away at the level of trust we have in the information.  As BI managers we need to provide the most accurate information we can, given the resources at our disposal.

Automation represents one way in which to reduce errors, but we can do more.  Spot checking, quality control steps like tying out sub-totals and checking whether the results “make sense” should be an integral part of every information delivery.  Even better, we usually can automate some of these QC steps.

Letting go of less important tasks

The article “Making Time For The Future” addresses this topic in more detail.  Suffice it to say here that letting go of less important tasks allows us to spend more time on the more important ones.

Finding someone with the right skills to do the job.

This brings us to the last item on this list: to get all of this done, we sometimes have to look for someone else to do the job – either because we do not have the time or the necessary skills.  This raises questions like:

• Can we afford additional headcount or a consultant?
• Is this a long term need or a short term need?
• What exactly should this person do?
• What skills, knowledge and experience do they need to bring to the table?

Answers to these questions depend on many factors, including:

• Budget
• Expected growth of the organization
• To what extent the BI department wishes to combine business skills with IT skills
• Which skills are already available in house
• Whether the organization prefers to do all the work in-house or work with external partners
• Whether the right person can be hired as an employee or a consultant.

The Bottom Line

Successful organizations will require ever more complex information to stay competitive.  As the industry changes and sales reps need to blend more and more sales, medical science and account management skills, we have to integrate data from ever more sources.  While technologies like dashboards make the presentation of information easier, we are still faced with the tricky task of determining which information needs to be available when and to whom.

This article provides some ideas about how to meet these increasing demands without simply doing more work. It is the second in a three-part series of articles looking at Three Steps To A Better BI Future. In the last article we will take a closer look at how to provide the right information to the right people at the right time.

The three articles in this series are:

• Step 1: Making Time For The Future
• Step 2: Looking Ahead – More Data, More Details – Less Work? – this article
• Step 3: Getting There – The Right Blend Of People, Skills And Goals

Paper, Pencil and Brainstorming

Let us start the brainstorming session with a simple question: “What keeps us busy every day?” The answer should not be a detailed list of every report the department produces, nor of every research project being conducted.  Rather the goal here is to identify where the big chunks of time are going, yet with enough detail so that we can later group our thoughts in meaningful ways.  Some meaningful groupings might be:

• by department
• by brand
• by budget line item
• by the type of data being used
• by cost
• by the amount of effort involved.

We may want to start with any or all of these bullets to get the brainstorm going.  However, since we are in the process of trying to find TIME for the future, we eventually want to focus on the EFFORT involved.

A Little Bit Of Research

Since perceptions can be deceiving, we need to validate our impressions.  At this stage we need to explore whether individual projects really consume as much time as we think they do.  This is also a good place to ask whether something still is being used or whether it has the same importance it once did.  Some of the more tricky items to review are all the “favors” that we inevitably do for others. At this stage of the game we are trying to:

• verify how much effort is required
• look for low hanging fruit
• search for items that promise big returns.

With some projects it will be obvious that they are important and need to get done, yet we can always explore whether they can be done faster and more efficiently.  Options include finding new technology, outsourcing, procuring the co-operation of other departments or hiring someone with more appropriate skills.

For other projects it will be just as obvious that they can be stopped or reduced in size. For everything else, we need the next step.

Building A Case For Stopping Things

Chances are good that eventually we will have picked all the low hanging fruit. Budget constraints, changing business priorities and additional demands may make it necessary to cut back on existing services. And of course, we are still looking to find time for the future!

At this stage we have to weigh the benefits of one project against those of another.  We have to weigh the impact each project has on the company overall and we have to parse perceived need from real need.  Key questions to ask include:

• How does this make you more effective?
• How does it help you make better business decisions?
• How would it hurt your effectiveness if the information was updated less frequently?
• Without this information, how would you get your job done?

Notice that these questions do not allow for “yes” or “no” answers.  They are the starting point for exploring the true value of something that is perceived as a needed service.  Only if we and our information customers explore these questions, can we determine whether other options are available or whether the need is as great as we initially thought.

Building a case takes time and effort – and if we reach this stage, we should also weigh the needs of our own department and not just the needs of those we support.  To effectively support our information clients we need to also look at how our own service offering needs to evolve to meet changing needs.

Needing Time For The Future

Successful business information managers constantly engage in their own form of R&D, researching and developing solutions that provide timely and accurate information on which to base profitable business decisions.  To meet future demands it is vital that BI managers

• Develop expertise with relevant business issues
• Follow market trends
• Learn about new data sources
• Explore new technologies

To be able to do these things, BI managers need to find time in their schedule – or better yet,  they need to make time for the future.  The tips outlined here should provide a good starting point.

This is the first in a three-part series of articles looking at Three Steps To A Better BI Future.  In the next article we will take a look at how to meet increasing demands without simply doing more work.

The three articles in the series are:

• Step 1: Making Time For The Future – this article
• Step 2: Looking Ahead – More Data, More Details – Less Work?
• Step 3: Getting There – The Right Blend Of People, Skills And Goals

• Stop
• Continue
• Start.

Of course we all know that this traffic light approach to the future sounds more simple than it is to implement.  Implementing “stop-continue-start” often requires multiple doses of diplomacy and the stamina and steadfastness of a referee.  Over the course of three articles we will take a look at what it takes to get there.

1. Step 1: Making Time For The Future
2. Step 2: Looking Ahead – More Data, More Details – Less Work?
3. Step 3: Getting There – The Right Blend Of People, Skills And Goals