Business Intelligence Discovery

What is a BI Discovery?

A business intelligence (BI) discovery is a process that involves conducting a detailed analysis and assessment of an organisation's existing BI capabilities and infrastructure, in order to understand their strengths, weaknesses, and potential areas for improvement. There are several reasons why an organisation may choose to conduct a BI discovery, including the following:

Identify BI gaps and areas for improvement

A BI discovery can help to identify gaps and weaknesses in the organisation's existing BI capabilities and infrastructure, such as inadequate data sources, outdated or inadequate BI tools, or inefficient processes. This can provide valuable insights and information that can be used to develop a plan for improving and updating the organisation's BI capabilities.

Align BI with business needs and goals

A BI discovery can also help to ensure that the organisation's BI is aligned with its business needs and goals. By understanding the organisation's current and future business requirements, the BI discovery can identify the BI projects and use cases that are most valuable and feasible and can help to prioritize and plan for their implementation.

Plan for future growth and expansion

A BI discovery can also provide valuable insights and information that can be used to plan for the organisation's future growth and expansion. By understanding the organisation's current BI capabilities and infrastructure, as well as its future plans and goals, the BI discovery can help to identify the BI projects and resources that will be needed to support the organisation's growth and success.

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Discovery Workshops

A BI discovery workshop is a meeting or series of meetings where business stakeholders and IT professionals come together to discuss the goals and requirements for a business intelligence (BI) project. The purpose of the workshop is to identify the key data sources, metrics, and business questions that the BI solution should address, as well as to define the high-level requirements for the project.

A typical BI discovery workshop will:

  • Identify the key stakeholders and invite them to the workshop. This should include business leaders, subject matter experts, and IT professionals who will be involved in the BI project.

  • Set a clear agenda for the workshop, including the goals, objectives, and expected outcomes. This will help participants understand the purpose of the workshop and what is expected of them.

  • Start by discussing the current state of the business and the challenges and opportunities that it faces. This will provide context for the BI project and help participants understand the business needs that the BI solution should address.

  • Identify the key data sources that will be used in the BI solution. This may include data from internal systems, such as CRM and ERP systems, as well as external data sources, such as market research reports and industry benchmarks.

  • Define the metrics and business questions that the BI solution should address. This will help participants understand what information the BI solution should provide and how it will be used to drive business decisions.

  • Develop high-level requirements for the BI project, including the specific functionalities and features that the BI solution should have. This will help IT professionals understand the scope of the project and develop a plan for implementing the BI solution.

  • Document the outcomes of the workshop, including the key data sources, metrics, business questions, and requirements that were discussed. This will provide a starting point for the BI project and help ensure that the BI solution addresses the needs of the business.

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Outcomes of the discovery process

Road Map

A business intelligence roadmap is a plan that outlines the steps a company will take to implement and utilise business intelligence tools and strategies. This may include identifying the business needs and goals that will drive the use of business intelligence, choosing and implementing the appropriate technology, and developing processes and training to ensure that the business intelligence capabilities are being used effectively. The specific components of a business intelligence roadmap will vary depending on the needs and goals of the company.

Some common components of a Business Intelligence roadmap include:

  • Developing processes and training to ensure that the business intelligence capabilities are being used effectively. This may include creating dashboards and reports, and training employees on how to access and use the business intelligence tools.

  • Establishing a governance structure to oversee the use of business intelligence and ensure that it aligns with the company's goals and objectives. This may include defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing policies and procedures for using and maintaining the business intelligence tools.

  • Creating a timeline and budget for the implementation and use of business intelligence. This may include defining the project phases and milestones, and identifying the resources (e.g. personnel, technology, training) that will be required.

    Overall, the goal of a business intelligence roadmap is to provide a clear and actionable plan for implementing and using business intelligence to drive business success.

Recommendations

The recommendations that come out of a BI discovery are specific actions that the company can take to improve its use of business intelligence and better support its business goals and objectives.

Common recommendations from a BI Discovery are:

  • Implementing new business intelligence tools or technologies to support data analysis and reporting. This may include data visualisation tools, dashboards, or predictive analytics software.

  • Establishing a data governance structure to ensure that the company's data is accurate, complete, and accessible to the appropriate users. This may include defining roles and responsibilities, and establishing policies and procedures for collecting, storing, and managing data.

  • Developing training programs to educate employees on how to use business intelligence tools and techniques. This may include hands-on workshops, online tutorials, or mentoring programs.

  • Creating a business intelligence roadmap to outline the steps the company will take to implement and use business intelligence effectively. This may include defining the project phases and milestones, and identifying the resources that will be required.

  • Identifying and prioritising key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics that are important to the company's business goals and objectives. This may include defining what the KPIs are, how they will be measured, and how they will be used to drive business decisions.

    Overall, the recommendations from a BI discovery are intended to help the company improve its use of business intelligence and support its business goals.

Scope of works

When required, a Business Intelligence (BI) scope of works outlines the goals, deliverables, and tasks that are involved in the project.

The scope of works typically includes an overview of the business problem that the BI project is intended to solve, a description of the BI solution that will be implemented, and a detailed plan for how the project will be executed. This document is typically used to ensure that all stakeholders are aligned on the goals and expectations for the project.

  • Data sources and connectivity: This includes a detailed description of the data sources that will be used for the BI project, as well as the methods and technologies that will be used to connect to and extract data from these sources.

  • Data integration and transformation: This includes a description of the processes and techniques that will be used to integrate and transform the data from different sources into a consistent and clean format that is suitable for analysis and reporting.

  • Data modelling and warehousing: This includes a description of the data model and schema that will be used to structure and organize the data for analysis, as well as the technologies and tools that will be used for data warehousing and storage..

  • Reporting and visualisation: This includes a description of the reporting and visualization tools and capabilities that will be used to create and deliver the BI content, such as dashboards, reports, and interactive data visualisations.

  • Security and access control: This includes a description of the security measures and access control mechanisms that will be used to protect the data and ensure that only authorized users can access the BI content.

  • Support and maintenance: This includes a description of the support and maintenance services that will be provided to ensure the smooth operation and ongoing availability of the BI system.