NexTec posted on October 04, 2011 12:08
Business Intelligence – Know Your Audience
This is the second of 5 blog posts intended to help companies figure out which business intelligence solution to buy.
#2 Know Your Audience
Pay attention to who you are buying the BI solution for. Is it just a small group of managers? Or do you want every employee to have their own customizable dashboard that applies to their job responsibilities? Before you start interviewing vendors and watching demos, spend time planning exactly who needs to use the system and what it is they need to be measuring and monitoring.
It’s easy to get drawn in by colorful charts, but you have to ask yourself, “Who will use this data?” Do you really need polar charts? How will these features help your organization achieve its goals? The complexity isn’t just in the setup of software, it’s also in the use and maintenance.
If you don’t have analysts dedicated to working with your data, be realistic about your expectations. If you need to know when back orders are piling up, you probably just need a simple dashboard or business alerts. Buying a custom system that requires extra software may be unnecessary.
Knowing the needs and aptitude of your audience is key to sizing the solution you need. Don’t overbuy a solution under the misperception that you’ll grow into it – or that bigger is better – or that everyone needs their own access. Bigger can be overly complex. Buy what you need (and what you can afford) today.
See our first blog entry intended to help companies with business intelligence solutions, Business Intelligence - Ease of Use.