Business Intelligence For Dummies®

Chapter 9. Human Factors in BI Implementations

Every successful business intelligence implementation, no matter the size and scope, must address how the project is affected by human factors. You can assemble the best possible plans and purchase high-grade software and infrastructure components, but when it comes down to it, you'd better have the right people in place, or the whole thing could come crashing down around you.

You can't just have brainiacs and geeks in your team. You need some people skills. That means you need internal salesmen, facilitators, negotiators, and diplomats. And in some cases, you need many of those skills packaged in one single person.

Companies are microcosmic societies, where egos, rivalries, and prejudgments are in constant motion—usually in the form of individuals and groups united for one cause or another. The business intelligence system will be a two-way street. It will have to draw on the resources of the community of experts, users, allies, and champions, and it will need to provide benefits, direct and indirect, to those same groups.

This chapter dives into the people elements of your project. They are easily as important as the technology factors, so take heed.

Star Techie: Skills Profile of a Core BI Team

Business intelligence projects are bridge-building exercises like no other. To guarantee success, the implementation team must develop linkages between the business goals and operations of the company and the elements of the IT infrastructure. ...