Source:http://www.ironsidegroup.com/
The late 2009 release of Cognos Express has generated quite a bit of
interest from companies considering the benefits of a Business
Intelligence (BI) implementation, but had previously been limited by
financial considerations. While this entry into the market does provide
an excellent solution at a relatively low cost, IT departments need to
keep in mind that this type of BI software is never a turnkey solution.
Many of the same strategic and tactical issues that larger companies
have faced over the past decade in an effort to effectively undertake a
BI initiative while retaining a high ROI will be faced, all be it on a
smaller scale, by mid-market organizations. It is critical that the IBM
Cognos Express team in these organizations realize that a complete
implementation methodology is vital to the overall success and
sustainability of the BI project, no matter the size of the company, the
cost of the tool or the complexity of the project.
Keys to Success
The keys to success lie in understanding the critical steps that must
be considered in this type of project. As mentioned above, while the
scale of the project will be much smaller than many of the BI
initiatives undertaken with IBM Cognos products in the past, the tactics
utilized to make these projects a success are no less valid. In fact,
the very same governance that is often applied to larger projects could
and should be utilized on smaller scale efforts. The overall success of
the BI initiative, as measured by user adoption, can hinge on
recognizing all the factors that need to be considered when defining the
scope of the project.
What Do I Really Need?
The first question that any organization, regardless of size, needs
to ask: Who are the end users and what type of information is going to
allow them to do their jobs more effectively? Once this information is
gathered it becomes much easier to identify the type of data that will
be consumed and where that data is located. An often overlooked and
perhaps even more vital aspect of this type of information, especially
in a mid-market company, is that it is going to allow the organization
to purchase the specific product modules that will be necessary to
ensure success without limiting the ROI by extraneous purchasing costs.
This step is obviously not as critical to larger organizations that are
going to have more disposable budgets and have no need to fine tune the
exact number of licenses purchased. For this reason, it is imperative
that organizations understand the components that make up the Cognos
Express software package (IBM Cognos Express Reporter, IBM Cognos
Express Advisor, IBM Cognos Express Xcelerator) and the type of users
licenses required to sustain and utilize the software in order to ensure
that limited budgets are spent on driving the most value out of the
investment.
Don’t forget the Data!
While choosing the right software is important to keeping the cost of
the initiative down, it is far from the only crucial factor to the
success of the project. One of the largest and most often overlooked
areas by mid market organizations is the location and structure of the
relational data sources that will be used to provide the consumer with
the necessary information. A well designed data source or sources and
the resultant ease and speed of data manipulation is vital to getting
the end user to accept and utilize the tool and therefore realize the
potential ROI on the project. Too often we have seen organizations
either need to reinvest in a data warehouse or mart or realize low user
adoption due to badly designed data sources. If the native data source
is not suited for reporting, a data warehouse may be the answer. This
undertaking needs to be taken into account when looking at building out a
BI initiative. The adage “The tool is only as good as the data that it
sits on top of” is applicable regardless of the size of the company.
Thinking about the future
Considering the upfront tasks that are essential during the
development phase is only part of the puzzle. Many organizations,
regardless of size, never plan for the sustainment of the BI initiative
after initial go-live. While larger organization may be able to absorb
this into operating costs or secondary projects, mid markets do not
often enjoy the luxury of having additional budget dollars. For this
reason it is imperative that mid market organizations incorporate the
development of a set of standards for current and future development
requests into the initial project plan. While a full Business
Intelligence Competency Center (as is often used in larger
implementations) may not be required, many of the same ideas, such as
the importance of specifications, standards and repeatable operations,
can smooth the implementation of smaller projects as well.
Knowledge = Power
Another often over looked factor in the implementation and cost
evaluation of a mid-market BI project is the need for administrator,
developer and end user training. It is certainly not necessary to design
large scale training classes for smaller organizations, but the skill
sets to maintain the systems and ensure future growth in addition to
user acceptance and adoption is critical to realizing the full potential
of these systems. While training does not need to be a large part of
the overall implementation cost, it is important that the right training
for key individuals is included in the overall implementation plan.
Conclusion
Ensuring that all the necessary variables are taken into account when
mid-market organizations decide to make the investment in a BI project
is key to the success of the initiative. We have discussed just a few of
the considerations that should be taken into account during planning
and cost discussions. While many of the lessons that have been learned
in larger organizations can be adapted to work in smaller installations,
it is critical to understand the relationship and application of these
lessons in the mid market arena. The Ironside Group has a proven track
record of success at assisting mid market organizations navigate these
often complex and overwhelming projects and can provide the necessary
methodology to ensure a maximum ROI.
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