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Select and Implement a Reporting and Analytics Solution

Select the right analytics solution with our data-driven approach.

  • Statistics show that the top priority of 85% of CIOs is insight and intelligence. Yet an appetite for intelligence does not mean that business intelligence initiatives will be an automatic success. In fact, many industry studies found that only 30% to 50% of organizations considered their BI initiative to be a complete success. It is, therefore, imperative that organizations take the time to select and implement a BI suite that aligns with business goals and fosters end-user adoption.
  • The multitude of BI offerings creates a busy and sometimes overwhelming vendor landscape. When selecting a solution, you have to make sense of the many offerings and bridge the gap between what is out there and what your organization needs.
  • BI is more than software. A BI solution has to effectively address business needs and demonstrate value through content and delivery once the platform is implemented.
  • Another dimension of the success of BI is the quality and validity of the reports and insights. The overall success of the BI solution is only as good as the quality of data fueling them.

Our Advice

Critical Insight

  • Business intelligence starts with data management. Without data management, including governance and data quality capabilities, your BI users will not be able to get the insights they need due to inaccurate and unavailable data.
  • When selecting a BI tool, it is crucial to ensure that the tool is fit for the purpose of the organization. Ensure alignment between the business drivers and the tool capabilities.
  • Self-serve BI requires a measured approach. Self-serve BI is meant to empower users to make more informed and faster decisions. But uncontrolled self-serve BI will lead to report chaos and prevent users from getting the most out of the tool. You must govern self-serve before it gets out of hand.

Impact and Result

  • Evaluate your organization and land yourself into one of our three BI use cases. Find a BI suite that best suits the use case and, therefore, your organization.
  • Understand the ever-changing BI market. Get to know the established vendors as well as the emerging players.
  • Define BI requirements comprehensively through the lens of business, data, architecture, and user groups. Evaluate requirements to ensure they align with the strategic goals of the business.

Select and Implement a Reporting and Analytics Solution Research & Tools

Start here – read the Executive Brief

Read our concise Executive Brief to find out why you should select and implement a business intelligence and analytics solution, review Info-Tech’s methodology, and understand the four ways we can support you in completing this project.

1. Launch a BI selection project

Promote and get approval for the BI selection and implementation project.


Member Testimonials

After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve. See our top member experiences for this blueprint and what our clients have to say.

9.0/10


Overall Impact

$9,549


Average $ Saved

5


Average Days Saved

Client

Experience

Impact

$ Saved

Days Saved

Kappa Delta Sorority

Guided Implementation

10/10

$6,499

5

Gaining a better understanding of the architecture and discussing specific aspects of different solutions

AJIL Financial Services Company

Guided Implementation

8/10

$12,599

5

Correctional Service of Canada

Guided Implementation

10/10

N/A

N/A

Lake Simcoe Region Conservation Authority

Guided Implementation

9/10

$1,900

5

Very knowledgeable on the subject and helpful to our learning curve. Worst...the hour goes quickly.

Royal Roads University

Guided Implementation

9/10

$2,000

5

Great session with Igor. He was able to provide great insight into the pitfalls of PowerBI and a good overall view of the BI architecture

MCAP Service Corporation

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

N/A

Great advice .. identified future direction of BI/Reporting for us - and gave us a number of products to consider

Benchmade

Guided Implementation

8/10

$127K

10

Sport Maska Inc

Guided Implementation

8/10

N/A

N/A

City of Burbank

Guided Implementation

10/10

$5,000

10

Ceridian Corporation

Guided Implementation

9/10

N/A

N/A

Very good summary of high level concepts but also able to drill down into very detailed questions. Thank you!

The Royal Automobile Association of South Australia

Guided Implementation

10/10

$48,985

5

Igor has communicated his knowledge in a highly effective and concise manner. It has enriched my knowledge and will be of great assistance as we lo... Read More

Association of American Medical Colleges

Guided Implementation

8/10

N/A

5


Workshop: Select and Implement a Reporting and Analytics Solution

Workshops offer an easy way to accelerate your project. If you are unable to do the project yourself, and a Guided Implementation isn't enough, we offer low-cost delivery of our project workshops. We take you through every phase of your project and ensure that you have a roadmap in place to complete your project successfully.

Module 1: Launch a BI Selection Project

The Purpose

  • Identify the scope and objectives of the workshop.
  • Discuss the benefits and opportunities related to a BI investment.
  • Gain a high-level understanding of BI and the BI market definitions and details.
  • Outline a project plan and identify the resourcing requirements for the project.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Determine workshop scope.
  • Identify the business drivers and benefits behind a BI investment.
  • Outline the project plan for the organization’s BI selection project.
  • Determine project resourcing.
  • Identify and perform the steps to launch the organization’s selection project.

Activities

Outputs

1.1

Identify business drivers for investing in process automation technology.

1.2

Identify the organization’s fit for a BI investment.

1.3

Create a project plan.

1.4

Identify project resourcing.

1.5

Outline the project’s timeline.

1.6

Determine key metrics.

1.7

Determine project oversight.

1.8

Complete a project charter.

  • Completion of a project charter
  • Launched BI selection project

Module 2: Analyze BI Requirements and Shortlist Vendors

The Purpose

  • Identify functional requirements for the organization’s BI suite.
  • Determine technical requirements for the organization’s BI suite.
  • Identify the organization’s alignment to the Vendor Landscape’s use-case scenarios.
  • Shortlist BI vendors.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Documented functional requirements.
  • Documented technical requirements.
  • Identified use-case scenarios for the future BI solution.

Activities

Outputs

2.1

Interview business stakeholders.

2.2

Interview IT staff.

2.3

Consolidate interview findings.

2.4

Build the solution’s requirements package.

  • Documented requirements for the future solution.
2.5

Identify use-case scenario alignment.

  • Identification of the organization’s BI functional use-case scenarios.
2.6

Review Info-Tech’s BI Vendor Landscape results.

2.7

Create custom shortlist.

  • Shortlist of BI vendors.

Module 3: Plan the Implementation Process

The Purpose

  • Identify the steps for the organization’s implementation process.
  • Select the right BI environment.
  • Run a pilot project.
  • Measure the value of your implementation.

Key Benefits Achieved

  • Install a BI solution and prepare the BI solution in a way that allows intuitive and interactive uses.
  • Keep track of and quantify BI success.

Activities

Outputs

3.1

Select the right environment for the BI platform.

3.2

Configure the BI implementation.

  • A successful BI implementation.
3.3

Conduct a pilot to get started with BI and to demonstrate BI possibilities.

  • BI is architected with the right availability.
3.4

Promote BI development in production.

  • BI ROI is captured and quantified.
Select and Implement a Reporting and Analytics Solution preview picture

About Info-Tech

Info-Tech Research Group is the world’s fastest-growing information technology research and advisory company, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals.

We produce unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. We partner closely with IT teams to provide everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

MEMBER RATING

9.0/10
Overall Impact

$9,549
Average $ Saved

5
Average Days Saved

After each Info-Tech experience, we ask our members to quantify the real-time savings, monetary impact, and project improvements our research helped them achieve.

Read what our members are saying

What Is a Blueprint?

A blueprint is designed to be a roadmap, containing a methodology and the tools and templates you need to solve your IT problems.

Each blueprint can be accompanied by a Guided Implementation that provides you access to our world-class analysts to help you get through the project.

Need Extra Help?
Speak With An Analyst

Get the help you need in this 3-phase advisory process. You'll receive 9 touchpoints with our researchers, all included in your membership.

Guided Implementation 1: Launch a BI selection project
  • Call 1: Socialize the idea of BI and educate the executives on BI.
  • Call 2: Identify staffing needs.
  • Call 3: Create project plan.

Guided Implementation 2: Select a BI solution
  • Call 1: Plan requirements gathering steps.
  • Call 2: Discuss use-case fit assessment results.
  • Call 3: Discuss Vendor Landscape.

Guided Implementation 3: Implement the BI solution
  • Call 1: Discuss evaluation results.
  • Call 2: Conduct a contract review.
  • Call 3: Plan for implementation.

Author

Crystal Singh

Contributors

  • Emilie Harrington, Lowes
  • Randy Bartlett, Blue Sigma Analytics
  • Sharon Blanton, Hawaii Pacific University
  • Eileen McEvoy, BusinessObjects - Crystal Reports
  • Haluk Demirkan, ISACA
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