What is an Executive Dashboard?
This just in… A recent research report states Business Intelligence is in the top 10 initiatives for CIO’s this year.
How many times have you seen the above statement? The answer probably gives some indication of just how old you are! Think about it, every year there are multiple sources (research reports, technology magazines, etc.) that say that this is the year BI is at the top of the IT budget food chain. Why is that? I have two guesses. First, delivering business intelligence for an organization is so complex that it never gets completely done. Second, putting it on the priority list is also safe and non-committal. It makes you look like your focus is on “leveraging your corporate data” without making commitment to actually rolling anything out. Why? Because there is no standard definition of BI that you can point at and say “are you doing this or not?” BI is personal.
Let’s take a specific scenario. Most would agree that an executive dashboard is an example of a business intelligence tool. Right? Here’s a test… ask your (or any) CIO what an executive dashboard is. Just a simple, unloaded question. The answer may just surprise you. I was talking with a CIO last week and asked him. His answer was (and I quote): “That thing everyone thinks I need but I don’t. I’m not into fancy gauges and dials. I want access to reports that show me what I need.” Interesting. It’s what makes BI so hard to sell and/or deliver… it is highly subjective and personal. But, that doesn’t stop people from trying…
Let’s say you’re pitching SharePoint to an IT group. It’s standard practice to have a slide that shows the ‘magic pie’ for SharePoint (with a slice for BI). Do a Google images search on ‘executive dashboard’, take the first one (see screenshot below) and slap it in the deck under the heading of ‘Impress your boss with an executive dashboard’. Wow, I’ll be a star if I can give my boss one of those! Wrong. There are no ‘one of those’ solutions in BI.
I always pitch the 70/20/10 rule for business intelligence (based purely on personal experience and opinion)… It takes 70% of the effort to get the data model right (cleaned and ready), 20% of the effort to deliver ‘the story’ in the ‘right’ way and 10% to set the appropriate BI governance rules (yes, BI has governance!) to ensure that the information stays timely and accurate. Granted, there are no slick pictures I can pump into my deck to make this more palatable. BI is personal.
Remember, business intelligence is all about efficiency and accuracy. I don’t care how you tell the story (gauges, dials, pies, flashing smiley faces); if it doesn’t give me 100% truth and help me do something I do better/faster it’s just pictures.
So, the next time you are in a conversation with someone about business intelligence (be it a vendor, a friend, a peer or your boss) and the subject of an executive dashboard comes up don’t be afraid to ask ‘what is an executive dashboard?’ It is not a sign of ignorance but rather one of strength. It’s the start of a conversation that will lead to the story which will uncover the process that identifies the need for efficiency that points you at the data that allows you actually begin the delivery that will lead to a tool that introduces that efficiency around the execution of some decision making process… Phew, isn’t that what BI is all about?