Aligning business intelligence (BI) infrastructure with strategy processes not only improves your organization's ability to respond to change, but also adds significant value to your BI infrastructure and development investments. Until now, there has been a need for a comprehensive book on business analysis for BI that starts with a macro view and gradually narrows it down to real-world tips, templates, and discussion material BI analysts need to know.
Covering the concepts, tools, and background required for successful BI projects, Business Analysis for Business Intelligence describes how to use business intelligence to improve your analysis activities. It outlines a proven framework for developing data models and solutions that fit your organization’s strategy. Explaining how to avoid common pitfalls, it demonstrates how to use continuous improvement to create a strategic knowledge organization and establish a competitive advantage.
- Links proven theories with practical insights
- Describes the questions you need to ask yourself or the client when turning data into information
- Includes discussion items and templates suitable for both IT and business professionals
- Illustrates the root causes behind poor performance management
- Outlines the steps needed to get your BI project started correctly
The book details a framework based on time-tested theories, empirical data, and the author’s experience analyzing strategic processes in dozens of organizations across a range of industries—including financial, logistics, food production, health, telecom, government, and retail. Providing you with the tools to achieve enduring success, the book can help your organization develop successful BI projects and fine-tune them to match the strategic decision making process in your organization.
Introduction
Why this Book?
What I Mean by "Business Intelligence"
What Does a BA4BI do?
The Structure of this Book
The Chapters of this Book
The Increasing Cycle Speed of Growth and Its Laws
Introduction
First Law: the Triangle of Knowledge, Growth and the Strategy Processes
Second Law: Your Narrow Choice between Two Options
Third Law: Any Organisation Optimises Two Extremes
Fourth Law: Measure Only What You Can Measure But...
Fifth Law: There is always a Dominant Source
Sixth Law: IT Is Here to Stay
Balancing the Five P's of Strategic Management
Introduction
The 5 P’s and Their Interaction
Managing Strategy
Adapting BI to the organisation’s configuration
Introduction
Mintzberg’s Configurations
Mintzberg’s Lessons for Business Intelligence
Understanding the Four "C’s"
Introduction
Applying the 4 C Perspective on Functions
The 4 C’s: the Foundation of a Balanced Scorecard
The Business Case for Business Intelligence
Introduction
The Basics of Information Economics
Illustrating IE with a Business Case
Generic Advantages of Business Intelligence
BI and Cost Accounting
Setting up an ABC System using BI
A Closer Look at the Source Systems for ABC
Setting up the ABC Analysis in the Data Warehouse
Conclusion
BI and Financial Management
The 101 on Financial BI Deliverables
Keep your SOX on!
Business Analysis for Financial Reporting
BI and Operations Management
The 101 on Operations Management
Production Management and the Information Architecture
What to measure
Basic Supply Chain Report Requirements
Setting up a Forecasting System Using BI
BI and Marketing Management
Introduction
What Do We Mean by "CRM"?
What Do We Mean by Behaviour Analysis?
Can We Learn from Past Failures?
How BI Can Contribute to Marketing Management
BI and Human Resources Management
The War for Talent and How to Lose It
Managing Absenteeism
How BI Can Lend a Hand
Starting a BI Project
Overview
Creating the Need
Gathering the Information
Analysing the Decision Making Processes
Producing the Documents
Validating the Results
Support and Maintenance
Managing the Project Life Cycle
Business Analysis and Project Planning
Business Requirements Gathering
Dimensional Modelling
BI Application Specification
Business Analysis and Growth – Maintenance
Mastering Data Management
The Major Components of Data Management
A Framework for Data Management
Mastering Data Quality
Which Quality?
An ROI Approach to Data Quality
The Business Analyst’s Toolbox
Overview
Project Direction Document Template
Introduction
The Document’s Contents
Interview Summary Template
Business Case Document Template
Introduction
Efficiency Economics
Revenue Improvement
Strategic Opportunities
Business Analysis Deliverables Template
Introduction and Overview
Project Charter Document Template
Overview
Best Practice Sharing Template
Generic Interview Guide
Introduction
Generic Interview List
Interview Guide per Functional Area
Metadata Checklist
Generic Business Object Definitions
Overview
Defining the Principal Asset of an Organisation: CUSTOMER
ORGANISATION, a Meaningful Concept?
EMPLOYEE or PARTNER?
PRODUCTS
TERRITORY
Annexes
Overview
How Do You Become a BA4BI?
What to Ask on Your Job Interview
Business Intelligence from 1960 to Today
The 101 on Datawarehousing
Survey for a BI Project for the Purchase Department
Illustrations
Bibliography
Books
Articles
Conference Papers
Biography
Bert Brijs is the Director of Lingua Franca, a consulting firm in Belgium.