Don't be 'tool myopic'

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When it comes to BI, don't let flashy tools and technology be your primary focus, says contributor Rick Sherman. A successful initiative includes the right tools plus giving business users what they need -- the right data, metrics and support. <hr>

NewsColumnMuch of the IT literature that you read focuses on tools and technology. That's understandable, since product vendors churn out these materials to sell and market their products. And, of course, many of us are geeks at heart, so we love to read about technology. When people discuss their business intelligence (BI), CRM or corporate performance management projects, they primarily talk about tools and technology. There is nothing wrong with that, as long as it is kept in perspective. It does become a problem when tools and technologies are the primary focus. It's easier to focus on the technology than it is to tackle the challenges associated with deploying a successful enterprise-wide BI solution. We get lulled into thinking that technology will solve all our problems after seeing endless product demos and articles that promise instant nirvana if we just use the right tool. And, too often, failed BI efforts are blamed on technology. This preoccupation with tools leads many projects to focus way too much on tool selection. Some project managers even have to develop a proof-of-concept (POC) to validate tool selections. Sure, selecting tools is necessary, and it's good when business users get involved in the selection and POC activities. It often seems, however, that a significant amount of a project's time and resources are consumed by these tools-related activities, especially in the early stages. However, providing an elegant dashboard and the ability to slice and dice with a great BI tool is just part of the story. What most business users really want from a BI solution is to get the right data, along with the right business metrics, supporting the right business processes. Otherwise, what's the point? Business users are the BI solution's customers, so the solution had better make them happy. How do you get the right data, metrics and processes incorporated in your solution? Talk to business users and discuss the tough stuff. In the real world, data, metrics and business processes are never as simple or clean as they are in textbooks and case studies. But your BI solution has to handle the complex data issues and business processes users need to analyze their business and make decisions. Gathering business requirements, reverse engineering existing reports (along with their corresponding data and metrics) and getting business users involved in an iterative development of your BI solution is critical to the business ROI and success of your business. Active and extensive business user involvement -- examining the complex and seemingly convoluted data and handling what the users want -- are keys to success. Regardless of the tools and technologies used, understand and represent the right data, metrics and business processes within your BI solutions. The business community will only use your BI solution if the data they need is there. They don't care what product features are available. Concentrate on the requirements first and foremost, regardless of the last article you've read or demonstration you have seen. About the author Rick Sherman has more than 18 years of business intelligence and data warehousing experience, having worked on more than 50 implementations as an independent consultant and as a director/practice leader at a Big Five accounting firm. He founded Athena IT Solutions, a Stow, Mass.-based business intelligence consulting firm. He can be reached at <a href="mailto:rsherman@athena-solutions.com">rsherman@athena-solutions.com</a>.NNN1089849COLhttp://searchcrm.techtarget.com/news/column/0,294698,sid11_gci1089849,00.html111647520000098889ce3f561f110VgnVCM1000009d2916acRCRD1089849

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