InetSoft Webinar: Agile BI Is Not Strictly About Reporting

This is the continuation of the transcript of a Webinar hosted by InetSoft on the topic of "What are the Benefits of a Visual Reporting Solution?" The speaker is Abhishek Gupta, product manager at InetSoft.

Now Agile BI is not strictly about reporting. It’s about other things. It’s about analyzing. I think that’s a key point because there are several things going on. I mean reporting in the middle is about statically presenting collected data. It’s critical. It’s essential, and it answers the ‘what happened’ question. It’s usually from a single system. It can be printed.

Its accuracy is aimed at senior management and generally at that level. There is also the need to actually get data out which is part of the Agile BI environment. At some point you actually need the list of the 30,000 people to do the mailing so that’s not a report that’s an export.

Or you’re setting up a meeting for some people if you are on the sale side in San Francisco. You want the highest rated prospects who have not been met in this certain period. That’s a list of 30 people. So there is a whole another part of BI that’s not reporting, it’s slicing and dicing and exploring data.

And then there’s analytics. Essentially the middle level staff is trying to interactively evaluate and explore data. They need to answer those questions why did something happen? They may need to blend data from multiple systems. You know having just the transaction data may not be enough, and you may need some profile data from the healthcare center.

They might not just need the clinical data. They might need some of the financial data and so forth. And this is about seeing the data and discovering the stories. The data has stories in it, and if this Agile BI movement can get to the point where the staff is making decisions. They can do easy analytics to see the stories in the data. They’re going to get better decisions.

The precision needed in this type of analysis is tolerable versus the reporting accuracies needed for accounting reports. The combination of data discovery and visualization enables a form of Agile BI. You can uncover hidden relationships you didn’t know existed. I’ll often hear ‘why didn’t we have this data before.’ In fact, they did. It was in a report they just didn’t see it, and they did have the discovery tools to get down in it to really take action on it.

I get this question a lot from people interested in setting up a successful BI strategy in an organization. What are the key success factors necessary for this?

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Now let’s talk about the end user side. From what we have read and seen and studied and heard from our clients is that understanding the problem being solved is really critical. BI can be distributed in an enterprise fashion, but it’s especially important as you get to the tactical staff who are doing the analytics in order to solve problems. You need to understand the problems that these types of users have. They have questions, and I think number one is, understanding what questions need to be answered?

What are the business people actually trying to do and how can data help them answer those questions? Then who needs to answer the questions? Some people need a richer set of information and can handle that. Others need something really simple, and so if you’re giving this BI tool to sales people, then it ought to be really simple.

If you’re giving it to a marketing analyst, it should be pretty rich. The same data is answering different questions depending on who it is. Their tools need to have a different look and feel to them. When and where are they going to this answer these questions?

This gets into the whole mobile BI story. If they’re walking around with a tablet PC, that dashboarding tool ought to work on tablet PCs. If they’re sitting in the office, then a client server arrangement works. So when and where they’re actually trying to answer these questions is important.

Case Study: Transforming Landscape Architecture with Agile BI

GreenScape Designs, a leading landscape architecture firm, was facing significant challenges in managing its complex projects and client expectations. With a diverse portfolio ranging from residential gardens to large urban parks, the firm needed a more flexible and responsive approach to data management and decision-making. By implementing an Agile Business Intelligence (BI) solution, GreenScape Designs was able to streamline operations, enhance project management, and deliver superior client satisfaction.

Background

GreenScape Designs traditionally relied on static reports and spreadsheets to manage their data. This approach was time-consuming, prone to errors, and often resulted in outdated information. The lack of real-time insights made it difficult for project managers to make informed decisions, track progress, and respond to client needs promptly. The firm recognized the need for a more dynamic and integrated BI solution to stay competitive in a rapidly evolving industry.

Implementation of Agile BI

GreenScape Designs partnered with a leading Agile BI provider to implement a solution that would provide real-time data access, enhance collaboration, and support continuous improvement. The key components of the Agile BI implementation included:

1. Centralized Data Integration: Integrating data from various sources, including project management software, CRM systems, and financial tools, into a centralized data warehouse.
2. Real-Time Analytics: Providing project managers and teams with real-time access to project data, budgets, timelines, and resource allocation through interactive dashboards.
3. Self-Service BI: Empowering employees to create, customize, and share their own reports and dashboards without relying heavily on IT support.
4. Iterative Development: Using an iterative approach to develop and refine BI tools, allowing for rapid adjustments based on user feedback and evolving business needs.
5. Collaboration Tools: Incorporating collaboration features to facilitate communication and data sharing across teams, promoting a culture of transparency and data-driven decision-making.

Benefits Achieved

The Agile BI implementation brought about significant benefits for GreenScape Designs, transforming various aspects of their operations:

1. Enhanced Project Management With real-time analytics and centralized data integration, project managers gained better visibility into project status, budgets, and timelines. This enabled them to make informed decisions quickly, allocate resources more efficiently, and proactively address potential issues. The Agile BI solution also facilitated more accurate forecasting and planning, reducing project delays and cost overruns. As a result, on-time project delivery improved by 20%.

2. Improved Collaboration and Communication The collaboration tools integrated into the Agile BI solution allowed teams to share insights, discuss progress, and resolve issues more effectively. This fostered a more collaborative work environment, enhancing coordination between design, construction, and client service teams. The ability to access and share real-time data improved overall communication, ensuring that everyone involved was aligned and informed. This led to a 25% increase in team productivity.

3. Better Client Satisfaction By providing real-time updates and interactive dashboards, GreenScape Designs could offer clients greater transparency into their projects. Clients were able to track progress, view budget status, and receive timely updates, enhancing their overall experience. The Agile BI solution also enabled the firm to respond more quickly to client requests and changes, improving client satisfaction and loyalty. Client satisfaction scores increased by 15%, leading to more repeat business and referrals.

4. Data-Driven Decision Making The self-service BI tools empowered employees at all levels to analyze data and generate insights independently. This democratization of data led to more data-driven decision-making across the organization. Teams could identify trends, assess performance, and optimize processes based on real-time information. The iterative development approach ensured that the BI tools remained aligned with the firm's evolving needs, continuously enhancing their decision-making capabilities.

5. Operational Efficiency The integration of financial data with project management and CRM systems provided a holistic view of the firm's operations. This enabled GreenScape Designs to identify areas for cost savings, optimize resource allocation, and improve financial planning. The ability to monitor KPIs in real-time facilitated proactive management and quick adjustments, leading to a 15% reduction in operational costs. The overall efficiency of the firm improved, contributing to higher profitability.