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A Project Management Approach to Address Business Intelligence Challenges Portland State University PDXScholar Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations Engineering and Technology Management 10-8-2018 Unified Business Intelligence cosystem:E A Project Management Approach to Address Business Intelligence Challenges Bhavana Ramesh Portland State University Akash Ramakrishna Portland State University Follow this and additional works at: https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/etm_fac Part of the Engineering Commons Let us know how access to this document benefits ou.y Citation Details B. Ramesh and A. Ramakrishna, "Unified Business Intelligence cosystem:E A Project Management Approach to Address Business Intelligence Challenges," 2018 Portland International Conference on Management of Engineering and Technology (PICMET), Honolulu, HI, 2018, pp. 1-10. This Article is brought to you for free and open access. It has been accepted for inclusion in Engineering and Technology Management Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of PDXScholar. Please contact us if we can make this document more accessible: [email protected]. 2018 Proceedings of PICMET '18: Technology Management for Interconnected World Unified Business Intelligence Ecosystem: A Project Management Approach to Address Business Intelligence Challenges Bhavana Ramesh, Akash Ramakrishna ETM Department, Portland State University, Portland, USA Abstract--The purpose of this paper is to explore a concept between having a Business Intelligence strategic plan and the that improves the success rate of Business Intelligence projects ability to create a data-informed decision making culture [2]. by looking at it as an ecosystem rather than standalone project. Most of the companies have realized the importance of This paper discusses the importance on Business Intelligence (BI) grounding their decisions on data driven facts yet companies initiatives and today’s challenges in implementing them. The struggle to realize the potential of analytics to its full capacity. concentration is on using proven practices of project It is surprising to see that more than 70% of the big data and management to reduce the failure rates of the Business intelligence projects fail [3]. Data driven firms continue to face Intelligence projects by evaluating currently existing Information increased difficulties implementing data driven strategies. This Technology (IT) project process, Business Intelligence research paper examines the over-all nature of the Business frameworks and a Project Vulnerability process in order to adopt some of the best project management practices that works Intelligence projects and its implementation challenges and for Business Intelligence projects. The paper studies currently with the help of project management practices and governance existing processes and introduces a new concept which discipline. This paper tries to bridge the gap in analytics henceforth will be termed as ‘Unified Business Intelligence strategy formulation and the slippages that occur in execution Ecosystem’ framework (UBIE). This research is based on through the use of suggested framework to build more various project management frameworks, those are proven to comprehensive and integrated plan for business. It is increase the efficiency of projects, and far-ranging sources of anticipated that the use of this framework can build a more research on nature of Business Intelligence projects, personal comprehensive and integrated plan for Business Intelligence observations and real-world Business Intelligence consulting initiatives, and will yield better success rates in terms of an experience. organization’s analytical success. Suggested approach will at a Research limitations/implications: Business Intelligence is a minimum, set a strong baseline to the project managers constantly developing field. Partial standardization and extensive managing the Business Intelligence projects. This paper will availability and access to Business Intelligence resources has also evaluate the benefits and the challenges that organizations created many definitions and buzz words in the industry. The face in implementing analytical solutions. assumptions described in this research might seem arguable given the reader’s experience in this field. A. Business Intelligence definition Originality/value: The paper presents a different perspective The difference between Business Intelligence (BI) and to view and manage Business Intelligence projects. It encourages Business Analytics (BA) is very fluid in the current industry. to interpret Business Intelligence projects as an ecosystem by The diversity of opinion reflects the fluidity of how we combining technical, business and management aspect rather understand the defining language of the field. It also than separate, standalone entity. The aim of this research paper demonstrates that in business Intelligence term can mean is to achieve Business Intelligence success by customizing Project Management (PM) practices to fit the unique need of Business different thing to different people depending on their business Intelligence projects. focus and perspective [4]. However, in general business analytics is pursued as a function of business Intelligence Acronyms: making it a wider umbrella for hosting analytics, systems and Business Intelligence – BI infrastructure. In this paper, business intelligence and business Project Management – PM analytics are used interchangeably as both of these fields offer Data Science- DS similar implementation and adoption challenges to the Information technology - IT organizations. Unified Business Intelligence Ecosystem - UBIE B. Business Intelligence trends Responsibility, Accountability, Consulted, Informed - RACI Business Intelligence can be defined in different ways. The I. INTRODUCTION Data-Warehousing Institute has defined business intelligence as “the tools, technologies and processes required to turn data A Business Intelligence Strategy is a roadmap that enables into information and information into knowledge and plans that businesses to measure their performance and seek out optimize business actions” [5]. The use of business intelligence competitive advantages and truly "listen to their customers" is becoming universal within organizations at every level. using data mining and statistics [1]. Recent Business According to a study by Gartner, the world's leading research Intelligence survey showed significant positive correlation and advisory company, the technology category of “analytics 978-1-890843-37-3 ©2018 PICMET and Business Intelligence” is the top priority of chief TABLE 1. SUMMARY OF ORGANIZATIONAL AND ANALYTICS CHALLENGES, ATRE & PYRAMID information officers and comprises a $12.2B market [6]. It is SL Organizational Challenges by Analytics Challenges by Pyramid seen as a higher priority than such categories as mobile Atre Group [16] Analytics [15] technology, cloud computing, and collaboration technology Failure to recognize BI projects [7]. In 2011 Business intelligence and analytics exceeded as cross-organizational business Lack of adoption of BI initiatives 1 initiatives, and to understand due to the lack of right skills, tools other competitiveness plans as mobility solutions (ranked 2nd that as such they differ from and application at74%), cloud computing (ranked 4th at 60%), and social typical standalone solutions. networking (ranked 8th at 55%) [8]. IDC, a premier global Unengaged business sponsors Hard to standardize on a BI provider of market intelligence and advisory services reported 2 (or sponsors who enjoy little or platform no authority in the enterprise). that the business analytics software market would grew by Unavailable or unwilling BI isn’t scalable - If there’s no 13.8% during 2011 to $32B and predicted it to be at $50.7B in 3 business representatives. common ground or revenue by 2016 [9,10]. Across a set of ROI cases, Nucleus standardization. Research, a research company found a $10.66 payoff for every Lack of skilled and available Hard to sell the return on 4 staff, or sub-optimal staff investment (ROI) of BI initiatives, $1.00 spent on analytics applications – suggesting that such utilization. and difficult to justify costs applications can be a very attractive investment route for chief No software release concept (no Inability to plan for or carry out 5 financial officers [11]. Although business analytics is hardly iterative development method). effective change management all and everything for managers dealing with modern No work breakdown structure Not having clear direction or complexities, it is a big deal for them – becoming increasingly 6 (no methodology). agreement on what or how to measure adopted in practice and emerging as an urgent challenge when No business analysis or Don’t have adequate it comes to improving business processes and outcomes 7 standardization activities. understanding of current state of [12,13]. the BI environment No appreciation of the impact of Lack of governance, lack of data C. Need for Business Intelligence in the organizations 8 dirty data on business integrity. profitability. According to Gartner, business intelligence applications No understanding of the Lack of functionality in the have become among the highest-priority technology 9 necessity for and the use of software investments for most CIO’s as organizations see it as more meta-data. than just measuring and understanding the past performance of Too much reliance on disparate Difficult to achieve a balance 10 methods and tools
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