All posts by Nick Rocha

05-Creating & constructing good solutions, 99-Applying business intelligence, business databases, creativity methods

Bridging the Gaps for Future Mobile BI Users

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Most of us utilize Business Intelligence software mainly on our laptops, but the world has started to drift towards the mobile trends. Many workers travel and rely on tablets or phones for presentation aides yet there are still gaps between the corporate data and these mobile devices. Below are some examples;

Culture Gaps

  • Fast Data vs. BI Reporting
  • Friendly Users
  • Post PC Diversity

Technology Gaps

  • Cloud Platforms
  • Social Interaction
  • All Encompassing Ecosystem

The 2 articles in the embedded links below, focus on the current gaps that we see today between the mobile world and business intelligence in terms of culture and technology. Hopefully in the near future we can bridge the gaps and truly rely on the cloud and other internet services to tailor to our business needs.

05-Creating & constructing good solutions, 99-Applying business intelligence, business databases, creativity methods

The ‘Right’ Strategy For Business Intelligence?

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Companies often look for templates or real world examples when it is time to bring a business intelligence system online. While they try to mimic a company similar to theirs, each organization is faced with their own respective needs and challenges. One commonality does exist in most roll outs as the strategy standard; involving end users and thinking big but starting small. This article discusses the best implementation strategy that is shared among companies.

Involving the users allows there to be early buy in from many members of the organization and it promotes the benefits immediately.  With many ideas flowing about, the implementation team is well prepared to deliver the best system. Additionally, pilot programs to test this system in are critical. Mass roll outs without the proper testing can lead to various issues and each department usually has its own pace to adopt these technologies.

Timelines allow for organized planning but its really the end user acclimating to the new system and providing feedback which will determine how long this implementation can take.  Does anyone have any other advice that may complement this over arching advice?

05-Creating & constructing good solutions, creativity methods

Scenario Planning In The Transportation Industry

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Atlanta traffic for some of us is a an hour commute or more each day, which can be hampered by construction or accidents. Whether traveling to school or daily job, we can admit that some portions of the city need serious infrastructure investments but we do not see any progress. Public and private sector stakeholders all need to be aligned on objectives and long term planning, yet due to different agenda’s these companies are far apart.

The HBR below discusses the rise of  Freight Flows, an initiative of convening conversations and achieving alignment, and the importance of ‘scenario planning’ in the transportation industry. Scenario planning helps develop point of views for the future and prepare users for a range of possible outcomes rather than placing all your eggs in one basket for one specific prediction. This type of planning helps bring together disparate parties and  effectively ensures that the best capital investments today will best for long term projects.

Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission (DVRPC) created a web based mapping application to track freight movement throughout the region and the impact it will have on transportation.  DVRPC now intends to use this application as the starting point to educate business and other regional stakeholders on the insights  on other infrastructure projects. Scenario planning is sponsored by the National Cooperative Highway Research program and will help guide the allocation of funds to projects. Stakeholder conversations has become a barrier to continual development of US transportation systems but this strategy could pave the way around that obstacle.

http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/07/to-see-eye-to-eye-on-infrastructure-use-scenario-planning/

05-Creating & constructing good solutions, 99-Applying business intelligence, business databases

Data’s Credibility Problem for Business Intelligence Users

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Data driven decisions are the basis of finding solutions that will solve any problem. Utilizing the BI tools are an everyday affair for me, which can often have repercussions should the information be inaccurate. Before we can apply BI to decision making, there is a need to analyze and ensure the integrity of the data.

HBR had a good article regarding the time lost due to looking, identifying and correcting errors in data sets. Time is of essence when it comes to project deadlines and there is nothing I rather not do, than waste time. Companies need to meet deadlines and they give there full trust in data sets. If an error comes up at the last minute when conducting analysis, we often look to quickly fix the data set without fully addressing the root causes.

Previously working in the retail clothing environment, many issues would come up regarding data integrity of our systems. Much of the blame would come back to the IT team and they would try to fix it themselves without going to the respective department who owned the data set. Not only is this inefficient but does not encourage collaboration and communication.

The solutions to this issue is better communication between the data creators and users. Too often do we put a band aid on a mistake and never go to the source. The focus should be shifting the responsibility from the IT team to the managers of data sets. This article gives examples at Chevron and the processes we should be implementing to ensure the right decisions are made with the right information.

I invite others to see if they have utilized these techniques in their companies through their management. What works best for your teams when these issues arise?