Delivering the Goods

Delivering the Goods Craig Curran-Morton July 19, 2010

Business Intelligence

Last year, you spent several months researching and analyzing an area of your organization. The intelligence you collected was, in your eyes, very valuable and could have changed the way the company approached its client base. So if the intelligence was so valuable, why did nothing happen with it? Why did management fail to take action?

The challenge many business intelligence practioners face is that they fail to make their intelligence actionable. They spend the time necessary to develop it, but fail to take the steps they need to allow it take root. Practitioners fail to pay enough heed to the last step in the business intelligence cycle: delivery, which is about presenting your message and making it stick. It is about turning your intelligence into action.

While you are rarely in a position to make the strategic or operational decisions for the organization, your intelligence can support these key decisions that will help guide and shape the organization for years to come. That is the real benefit of a good business intelligence group. The following four things can go a long way in helping you successfully deliver your message and ensure action is taken:

1. Understand your audience
2. Change your language
3. Deliver timely intelligence
4. Ensure a focused presentation

With any presentation, understanding your audience is key.