Mind the Gaps in BI Support and ValueMind the Gaps in BI Support and Value

The good news is that most business execs and IT professionals we recently surveyed are supportive of BI initiatives. The bad news is that many of these respondents also say their enthusiasm isn't shared by either top executives or end users... Here are a few thoughts on these latest bits of BI intelligence.

Doug Henschen, Executive Editor, Enterprise Apps

April 23, 2009

3 Min Read
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The good news is that most business execs and IT professionals we recently surveyed are supportive of business intelligence (BI) initiatives. The bad news is that many of these respondents also say their enthusiasm isn't universally shared. What's more, quite a few BI watchers report that the technology just isn't living up to its potential. Here are a few thoughts on these latest bits of BI intelligence.
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Where support for BI is concerned, we recently asked 242 IT pros and business execs with responsibility for BI purchases to identify with one of four statements best describing their attitude (one of many questions in our recent Intelligent Enterprise Attitudes and Priorities survey). As you'll see if you click on the pie chart at right, nearly 40% said both executives and end users within their organization are supportive of BI initiatives. That's the biggest slice and great news for BI proponents, but what's concerning is that more than half of respondents (55%) reported that either top executives (28%) or end users (27%) were not fully supportive of BI initiatives.

As I advise in the "Attitudes and Priorities" report, no amount of technology investment will bridge a bottom-up or top-down disconnect between executives and end users. "If you can't sell BI to C-level executives, it's likely you're either not telling the story effectively, or you're not delivering results that are making a big difference to the business. If end users aren't buying into BI, it could be a matter of inadequate training or overly complicated technology-but first consider whether the BI team is truly tuned into end user needs."

Intelligent Enterprise isn't the only source finding that BI is coming up short. In fact, "The 'BI'g Discrepancy" (between BI's potential and actual value delivered) was a core theme at Gartner's March BI Summit held in Washington D.C. The gap was also recently discussed by HP BI executive Kristina Robinson, who made this observation: "A fundamental divide still exists in people being able to quickly react and apply BI to critical decisions. I think there's a real opportunity to take a very pragmatic approach and look at why those disconnects are still out there and what we can do to not only drive better ROI from a technology perspective, but also to better address the underserved needs of the business."

If you are experiencing this gap and want advice on addressing the business needs of your organization, you can start by reading about BI competency centers and other imperatives in our free Attitudes and Priorities report. I'd also recommend this article on organizing BICCs. I'm guessing some of you feel either jaded about or powerless to organize a competency center, but there are lots of good ideas for improving business impact and value even if you don't create a formal organization.The good news is that most business execs and IT professionals we recently surveyed are supportive of BI initiatives. The bad news is that many of these respondents also say their enthusiasm isn't shared by either top executives or end users... Here are a few thoughts on these latest bits of BI intelligence.

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About the Author

Doug Henschen

Executive Editor, Enterprise Apps

Doug Henschen is Executive Editor of information, where he covers the intersection of enterprise applications with information management, business intelligence, big data and analytics. He previously served as editor in chief of Intelligent Enterprise, editor in chief of Transform Magazine, and Executive Editor at DM News. He has covered IT and data-driven marketing for more than 15 years.

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