Business Analytics: Design Outcomes, Not Solutions
The title “Solution Architect” is one I’ve carried proudly for some time. After listening to a TED presentation on the way to work this morning, I’m thinking of changing it to “Outcome Architect”. I don’t design solutions, I design outcomes. And here’s why.
Why information about assets is your greatest asset
When a company’s viability is determined largely by its investment in physical assets, information about the asset is an asset in itself.
Today, information is captured throughout the life of an asset and its individual components – it’s how we use this information to make more informed decisions that can improve service levels and generate greater profits.
There are four key activities required to sweat an asset.
IBM’s Vehicle for Success
Imagine sitting behind the wheel of a car, blind-folded, and being asked to “just drive“. Which way do you turn? Do you drive forwards or put the vehicle in reverse? Whether you’re driving a racing car or tractor, the risk of driving straight into the path of oncoming traffic or down a ditch is equally daunting.
And yet that is how many companies still expect their decision makers to operate. Whether steering a vehicle or an organisation, the importance of having clear insight into everything around you is imperative to making the right decision.
Puzzling Context: The importance of seeing the whole picture
The skies are blue, the sun is shining, and if that isn’t enough to make your smile, it also happens to be a public holiday today. In celebration of The Queen’s birthday, I am….cleaning the house?!
In a flurry of washing, tidying, organising, cleaning, wiping, toilet training (my two year old, not me), I stumbled across something which filled me with fear – the dreaded lone jigsaw puzzle piece! This is not just a single piece of a jigsaw puzzle, it’s the determining factor as to whether a quiet rainy afternoon spent indoors will end in giggles or tears, and therefore it must find a way back to its rightful location.
Herein lies the problem, what jigsaw puzzle does it belong to?
The Yin Yang of BI
If my customers were to describe me using a single word it would be: “passionate“. And there is nothing that brings out the fire more so than hearing comments like: “It doesn’t matter what BI tool we choose, just get the data right.” or “The data warehouse is taking too long to build, just give them access to what you have.” The former is more common amongst IT and consultants, and the latter, a common view of business groups.
It was 10 years ago when I was first introduced the importance of balancing quality information with useful visualisation, which is why I’m amazed companies today still work with unbalanced solutions. It’s what I call the “Yin yang of BI”. Contrary to popular belief, Yin yang are not opposing forces like good and evil, but complementary opposites that interact within a greater whole, as part of a dynamic system.
RSS
Newsletter
LinkedIn
Twitter
