Challenge
Mastering the languages of business and IT
Obviously, there is a strong IT component included in any Business Intelligence project. Clients that are already working with a talented IT team, either an internal or an external one, often get in touch with us because they are looking for a partner who has the expertise to translate business needs into a practical set of development-ready specifications, and who ensures the implementation of a solution that fits these needs.
At that stage, they have already pinpointed that this expertise is what their organization lacks most. Meetings between business and IT teams have made it crystal clear for them that, to be successful within a predetermined budget, it is imperative to bring in a partner that masters the languages of both business and IT.
Approach
Interacting with business & IT stakeholders to manage project implementation
Precisely because it is our role to resolve any confusion that may exist between project stakeholders that speak a different professional language, such as business versus IT stakeholders, it is our deliberate approach to challenge both of them. We do that through a number of hands-on working sessions with our client’s senior management and their business team to clearly understand the company’s business goals, and through a series of technical discussions with their IT team to develop a good view of their skills and needs. But the single most important aspect of these workshops is to make sure that the IT team has a correct understanding of what is required from them, and that our client’s senior management knows what to expect by when.
Based on the outcome of all interactions with senior management and the business team, we design the data models that are relevant for our client’s business requirements. And we make sure to provide the IT development team with transparent information on what is needed to implement these data models.
Having delivered a solid set of specifications and rational cost projections, our next task is to manage project implementation within time and budget constraints defined by our client. That includes periodic briefings of all stakeholders, and the responsibility to intervene when needed.
Impact
Bringing clarity to business & IT teams
Apart from the value that the BI implementation brings to our client, we see that the biggest impact of our contribution as a project consultant is the transparency and clarity that we deliver to all project stakeholders.
Firmly keeping both feet on the ground, we know how to translate Business Intelligence concepts into a set of practical specifications that enable the IT team to implement what the business team expects. And we provide our client's management with sound budget projections, avoiding the kind of unpleasant surprises that often come with projects in which stakeholders find out too late they are not really on the same page.