Business Intelligence Competency Centers: A Team Approach to Maximizing Competitive Advantage

Business Intelligence Competency Centers: A Team Approach to Maximizing Competitive Advantage

by
Released May 2006
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9780470044476

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Book description

Transform data into action for competitive advantage

"The knowledge assets of an organization are becoming increasingly important for competitive advantage, and therefore, the way in which knowledge is created, renewed, and communicated is critical. This book provides practical insights into how this may be achieved through the establishment of a Business Intelligence Competency Centre and is a valuable read for 'information professionals.'"

--Bill Sturman, Information Architecture Project Manager The Open University, United Kingdom

"BI is more than technology and projects. BI must live in the organization--as a BICC. This book helps to make BI tangible and understandable, bringing it to life."

--Miriam Eisenmann, Project Manager (PMP) CSC Ploenzke AG, Germany

"This book is a must-read for planning and implementing your BICC. It is a pragmatic guide that addresses a lot, if not all, of the questions you'll be asking yourself. Don't miss out on getting a head start from the people who thought this through from start to finish . . . Pray your competitors don't get hold of this book!"

--Claudia Imhoff, President Intelligent Solutions, Inc., USA

"Creating a BICC forces the organization to focus on the importance of centralizing the gathering, interpreting, and analyzing of information to create business insight."

--Anne Ulyate, Group Manager Business Intelligence Mutual & Federal, South Africa

"BI is a highly visible element in the 'business value' trend for IT investments. Initiatives, such as competency centers, should empower user organizations to drive even more value out of their BI investments."

--Marianne Kolding, Director, European ServicesIDC, United Kingdom

Table of contents

  1. Copyright
  2. About the Authors
  3. About the Contributors
  4. Foreword
  5. Preface
  6. Acknowledgments
    1. About SAS
  7. 1. Introduction
    1. 1.1. Overview
      1. 1.1.1. Key Questions
      2. 1.1.2. BICC Concept
    2. 1.2. Business Intelligence as a Competitive Differentiator
      1. 1.2.1. What Is Business Intelligence?
      2. 1.2.2. Business Intelligence Versus Gut Feel
      3. 1.2.3. Hindsight Versus Insight
      4. 1.2.4. Criteria for True Business Intelligence
    3. 1.3. Business Intelligence Competency Center
      1. 1.3.1. Six Challenges in Exploiting Business Intelligence
      2. 1.3.2. What Is a BICC?
      3. 1.3.3. Five Reasons to Establish a BICC
      4. 1.3.4. What Gartner Says about BICCs
    4. 1.4. Summary
    5. 1.5. Endnotes
  8. 2. Business Intelligence in the Organization
    1. 2.1. Overview
      1. 2.1.1. Background
      2. 2.1.2. Respondents
    2. 2.2. General Findings of the Survey
      1. 2.2.1. How Is Business Intelligence Used?
      2. 2.2.2. What Is the Scope of BI Usage?
      3. 2.2.3. Who Uses the Results of BI?
      4. 2.2.4. How Are BI Needs Determined?
      5. 2.2.5. What Are the Characteristics of the BI Needs Analysis?
      6. 2.2.6. How Are BI Software Questions Requested and Received?
      7. 2.2.7. How Effective Are BI Processes and Software?
    3. 2.3. Business Intelligence Competency Centers
      1. 2.3.1. Presence of BICCs
      2. 2.3.2. BICC Size and Support
      3. 2.3.3. BICC Funding
      4. 2.3.4. BICC Organizational Fit
      5. 2.3.5. Benefits and Disadvantages of a BICC
      6. 2.3.6. Potential Responsibilities for the BICC
      7. 2.3.7. Decision Factors in Establishing a BICC
      8. 2.3.8. Metrics for Success of BICCs
      9. 2.3.9. Additional Findings
    4. 2.4. Summary
  9. 3. Primary Functions of the Business Intelligence Competency Center
    1. 3.1. Overview
    2. 3.2. Functional Areas Inside the BICC
      1. 3.2.1. Business Intelligence Program
      2. 3.2.2. Data Stewardship
      3. 3.2.3. Support
      4. 3.2.4. BI Delivery
      5. 3.2.5. Data Acquisition
      6. 3.2.6. Advanced Analytics
      7. 3.2.7. Training
      8. 3.2.8. Vendor Contracts Management
    3. 3.3. Detailed Checklist for the Functional Areas in the BICC
    4. 3.4. Related Functional Areas
    5. 3.5. Summary
  10. 4. Planning a Business Intelligence Competency Center: Using the Information Evolution Model
    1. 4.1. Overview
    2. 4.2. Four Critical Dimensions of the Information Evolution Model
      1. 4.2.1. Dimension 1: Human Capital (People)
      2. 4.2.2. Dimension 2: Knowledge Processes
      3. 4.2.3. Dimension 3: Culture
      4. 4.2.4. Dimension 4: Infrastructure
    3. 4.3. Five Levels of Maturity in the Information Evolution Model
      1. 4.3.1. Level 1: Operate
      2. 4.3.2. Level 2: Consolidate
      3. 4.3.3. Level 3: Integrate
      4. 4.3.4. Level 4: Optimize
      5. 4.3.5. Level 5: Innovate
    4. 4.4. Defining the BI Strategy
      1. 4.4.1. BICC Perspective on the Information Evolution Model
      2. 4.4.2. Information Evolution Assessment
    5. 4.5. Summary
    6. 4.6. Endnotes
  11. 5. Human Capital
    1. 5.1. Overview
    2. 5.2. Staffing the Business Intelligence Competency Center
      1. 5.2.1. Job Roles and Role Descriptions
      2. 5.2.2. Required Competencies
      3. 5.2.3. Business-User Training and Coaching
    3. 5.3. Summary
  12. 6. Knowledge Processes
    1. 6.1. Overview
      1. 6.1.1. From Individual to Departmental to Enterprise
    2. 6.2. Knowledge Processes in the Business Intelligence Competency Center's Functional Areas
      1. 6.2.1. Business Intelligence Program
      2. 6.2.2. Data Stewardship
      3. 6.2.3. Support
      4. 6.2.4. BI Delivery
      5. 6.2.5. Data Acquisition
      6. 6.2.6. Advanced Analytics
      7. 6.2.7. Training
      8. 6.2.8. Vendor Contracts Management
    3. 6.3. Summary
  13. 7. Culture
    1. 7.1. Overview
    2. 7.2. Organizational Setup and Funding
      1. 7.2.1. Central Versus Virtual BICC
      2. 7.2.2. BICC Funding Models
    3. 7.3. Performance Metrics
      1. 7.3.1. Intangible Benefits
      2. 7.3.2. Tangible Business Benefit
      3. 7.3.3. Tangible Operational Efficiency
      4. 7.3.4. Business Benefits
    4. 7.4. Knowledge Management
      1. 7.4.1. What Is Knowledge Management?
      2. 7.4.2. What Does Knowledge Management Mean for the Organization?
      3. 7.4.3. Communities of Practice
      4. 7.4.4. SAS' Internal Knowledge Management Initiatives
    5. 7.5. Change Management
      1. 7.5.1. Change Management in the Context of a BICC
      2. 7.5.2. Managing Change in the BICC Context
      3. 7.5.3. Managing the Transition State
      4. 7.5.4. Proactively Managing the Change Process During Transition
      5. 7.5.5. Approach to Change Management
    6. 7.6. Making Change More Effective
    7. 7.7. Summary
    8. 7.8. Endnotes
  14. 8. Infrastructure
    1. 8.1. Overview
    2. 8.2. Considerations from a BICC Perspective
      1. 8.2.1. Business Intelligence Program
      2. 8.2.2. Data Stewardship
      3. 8.2.3. Support
      4. 8.2.4. BI Delivery
      5. 8.2.5. Data Acquisition
      6. 8.2.6. Advanced Analytics
      7. 8.2.7. Training
      8. 8.2.8. Vendor Contracts Management
      9. 8.2.9. Operational Support Systems for the BICC
    3. 8.3. Business Intelligence Infrastructure Selection Criteria
      1. 8.3.1. Integrated Components with Common Metadata
      2. 8.3.2. Scalability and Extensibility
      3. 8.3.3. Open and Standards Based
      4. 8.3.4. Data Integration and Storage
      5. 8.3.5. Integrated Data Quality Facilities
      6. 8.3.6. Integrated BI Tools for a Diverse User Audience
      7. 8.3.7. Predictive Analytics and Modeling
      8. 8.3.8. Tailored Business Solutions
      9. 8.3.9. Prebuilt Industry Data Models
    4. 8.4. Road Map to Implementing a BI Infrastructure
      1. 8.4.1. Scenario 1: Suffering from Poor Data Integration
      2. 8.4.2. Scenario 2: Suffering from a Patchwork of Tactical BI Tools
      3. 8.4.3. Scenario 3: Suffering from an Inappropriate Data Model
    5. 8.5. Summary
  15. 9. Setting Up and Ensuring Ongoing Support
    1. 9.1. Overview
    2. 9.2. Setup Process in Detail
    3. 9.3. Working with Software Vendors
      1. 9.3.1. What to Look for in a Vendor
      2. 9.3.2. How to Evaluate a Vendor's Commitment to Customers
    4. 9.4. Summary
    5. 9.5. Endnote
  16. 10. Cases from the Field
    1. 10.1. Insurance, South Africa: Mutual & Federal Defines Business Intelligence Strategy
    2. 10.2. Public Administration, Italy: CSI-Piemonte Manages Growth with a Business Intelligence Competency Center
    3. 10.3. Banking, Belgium: KBC Benefits from an SAS Business Intelligence Competency Center
    4. 10.4. Banking, South Africa: Competency Center Drives Return on BI Investments at Nedbank
    5. 10.5. Summary
    6. 10.6. Endnote
  17. 11. Ten Recommendations for a Highly Effective Business Intelligence Competency Center
    1. 11.1. Have a Vision for Business Intelligence
    2. 11.2. Create a Joint Venture Between Business and Information Technology
    3. 11.3. It's a Process, Not a Project
    4. 11.4. Maintain Clear Vision, Concrete Objectives
    5. 11.5. Integrate and Consolidate
    6. 11.6. Practice Effective Change Management
    7. 11.7. Carry Out Staff Induction, Training, Development
    8. 11.8. Deliver Ongoing Value
    9. 11.9. Ensure the Infrastructure's Depth and Breadth
    10. 11.10. Use a Multidimensional Approach
  18. A. List of Abbreviations
  19. B. Additional Roles

Product information

  • Title: Business Intelligence Competency Centers: A Team Approach to Maximizing Competitive Advantage
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: May 2006
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9780470044476