Business Analytics for Managers, 2nd Edition

Foreword

This book provides more fuel for this era of strategic and unified views of business analytics for value creation. In the same vein as Competing on Analytics and Analytics at Work, Business Analytics for Managers: Business Intelligence beyond Reporting adds another interesting and worthwhile perspective on the topic. In times of rapid change and growing complexity, rapid learning becomes more valuable. This book provides the strategic view on what's required to enable rapid learning and ultimately value creation.

Making decisions using huge, noisy, messy data requires business analytics. It is important to have a true appreciation of and advocacy for the analytical perspective on the whole of business analytics—on data (a strategic asset), on methods and processes (including refinement and optimization), and on people (the diverse skills it takes to formulate and execute on a well‐thought‐through strategy).

It starts with an analytical view of data: What is being measured, and is it what matters? Measurement (data generation and collection) is itself a process—the process of manufacturing an asset. When data is viewed this way, the analytical concepts of quality improvement and process optimization can be applied. The authors essentially ask, “What are you doing with your data? How are people in your organization armed to make better decisions using the data, processes, and analytical methods available?”

Business analytics, as portrayed by these analytical thinkers, ...