Business Intelligence (BI) is a method enterprises adopt to analyse data and make informed decisions. The BI process involves subjecting data to various tools to generate actionable insights. BI encompasses data collection, mining, warehousing, analysis, predictive analytics, reporting, and visualisation. BI recommendations help enterprises optimise operations, make informed decisions, and gain competitive advantage. 

But many enterprises ignore the “people” element of BI. BI success requires more than a robust set of tools or technology platforms. Human teams are crucial for the essential skills, expertise, and creativity they bring to the table. Maximising the value of BI technology starts with putting the right business intelligence team in place.

1. Structure the BI team correctly.

There is no recommended good structure for a BI team. The best team structure depends on enterprise considerations. But any good business intelligence team comprises four essential roles in some way. 

• A subject matter expert understands the business and can link business needs with IT processes and applications. A good subject expert structures the data architecture in a way that benefits the business the most. The best subject-matter expert has competence in business and data architecture.
• An analyst can create effective models and representations of the business with BI tools and databases. Effective models capture relationships between data. BI teams often need to create ad hoc models for specific purposes. Effective analysts bring data together from multiple sources and build the right connections. Analysts also develop basic dashboards and visualisations.
• A designer can create functional reports with compelling and easy-to-decipher visualisations. A good designer leverages the power of simplicity to generate powerful visualisations. 
• A data steward manages governance and compliance. Data stewards need support from legal counsels, HR and IT managers.

Most enterprises create cross-functional BI teams to ensure authority spanning the entire enterprise.

2. Provide the proper infrastructure 

The success of a BI team depends on the resources and infrastructure at its disposal. Employees can only work with new BI tools if it integrates with existing systems and data sources. 

Many companies purchase multimillion-dollar BI packages but cannot connect with the company databases. The solution of building integration tools atop the new tools increases project costs and adds complexity to the product.

 To overcome such situations:

• Consider the limitations of the existing infrastructure and how those would impact deployment. Perform due diligence to assess technical and user requirements, compatibility, and ownership costs.
• Ensure the new tools gel with existing database systems, OS, and other enterprise suites and platforms. The best infrastructure accommodates the increased demand for resources created by the new BI tool. If the sync is not seamless, employees waste time on manual data transfer and make errors. The BI team gets frustrated and demotivated, leading to project failure.
• Make sure the upgrade supports the needs of users. Most users have existing processes and workflows. They would not forsake the same for something new unless the new things offer value addition. 

3. Focus on the business goals

The success of a new business intelligence team depends on its ability to focus on things that matter. Focusing on business goals and objectives ensures BI teams adopt the right processes and apply the right strategies. 

The onus is on the BI team to solicit inputs and feedback from end-users who will use the BI software during their everyday work. 

Successful BI teams:

• Understand enterprise goals to identify relevant tools for the enterprise.
• Understand the kind of questions for which end users seek answers. They identify how end-users prefer to receive information, such as the kind of insights and visualisation. Such information helps BI teams identify the needed features and functions. 
• Create a data-centric culture where it becomes easy to provide insights to the end users based on the data they provide. 
• Link BI tools to specific business goals to allocate resources and focus on implementation. Aligning the tool with business goals makes measuring ROI easy and determining if it delivers the expected benefits. It also makes communicating benefits to stakeholders easier and helps overcome resistance to change.

4. Cultivate a culture that trusts the data

The effectiveness of a BI team increases with a data-driven culture. Cultivating an enterprise-driven culture that trusts data requires a concerted effort. 

BI teams would do well to take the following initiatives to promote a data-driven culture:

• Democratise data and empower users. Establish data transparency, especially in reporting and analysis. Make data sources, methods, and results accessible to all stakeholders. 
• Promote data literacy and data education programs. The rank and file need knowledge and skills to use and trust data. The onus is on the BI team to organise the proper training and support intervention. 

5. Adopt best practices and data governance

Effective BI teams walk their talk by establishing data management best practices and effective data governance.

• Establish data management best practices. This includes, among other things, organising data into meaningful structures and formats, taking regular backups, implementing access controls for security, using version controls, and more. 
• Perform due diligence on vendors. Research and shortlist potential vendors based on product offerings, reputation, and support. Evaluate demos and make a cost-benefit analysis.
• Set up a robust data governance framework. Establish processes for data validation and quality checks to ensure data reliability. The onus is on enterprise leaders to make the correct data or the single version of truth available to stakeholders.

6. Lead from the front

Successful BI implementation depends on the ability of business leaders and BI teams to:

• Set the vision and direction for the data interventions, and provide guidance when needed.
• Prove the utility of the insights provided by BI tools. Successful BL leaders “sell” the BI intervention to the workforce by demonstrating the value of everyday business needs. 
• Establish accountability for data management and data-driven decision-making. Effective BI teams assign roles and responsibilities and enforce accountability. 

The global business intelligence market was worth $24.05 billion in 2021 and growing. Business intelligence is a journey and not a destination. Successful BI teams play a strategic role by leveraging new tools and technologies to unlock better insights. They ensure BI tools and processes fit the company’s overall strategy and change as business priorities change.