Win with Advanced Business Analytics: Creating Business Value from Your Data

IDENTIFYING BUSINESS CHALLENGES AS A CONSULTATIVE PROCESS

When we hire analytical staff, we often look for prior consulting experience. This tells us that the analyst likely knows how to communicate effectively and relate to different types of business people and understands what it means to be customer-focused and a strategic business partner. Marshaling your business analytics team to identify the business challenges for your organization is often a great opportunity for your analytics function to demonstrate to the company that it can be a consultative and strategic partner with your internal customers. This will show that the team has value beyond merely analyzing data but also conveys that they understand and can relate to the overall needs of the business.

For example, in late 2009, JP Isson was invited to speak at the IDC and SAS CIO of the year event in Denmark. On his way to Copenhagen, he had a layover in Amsterdam. While in Amsterdam, he went to grab some coffee in order to stay awake during the short flight to Copenhagen. There was a line to the airport café that was known to deliver the best morning espresso, and while waiting in line, he struck up a conversation with a lady that quickly turned into business, after the common airport greetings: “Hi, how are you? Where are you heading to?” The woman’s name was Amber. She started talking about work, because she was going to Copenhagen for a business meeting and soon shared her pressing objective with JP.

Amber: I am ...