Business Analytics for Managers : Taking Business Intelligence Beyond Reporting

by Laursen, Gert H. N.; Thorlund, Jesper

• ISBN13: 9780470890615
• ISBN10: 0470890614
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2010-07-13
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

World-class guidance for delivering the right decision support to the right people at the right timeA vital blueprint for organizations that want to thrive in the competitive fray, Business Analytics for Managers presents a sustainable business analytics (BA) model focusing on the interaction of IT technology, strategy, business processes, and a broad spectrum of human competencies and organizational circumstances. Proven guidance on developing an information strategy Tips for supporting your company's ability to innovate in the future by using analytics An understanding of BA as a holistic information discipline with links to your business's strategy Practical insights for planning and implementing BA How to use information as a strategic asset Why BA is the next stepping-stone for companies in the information age today Discussion on BA's ever-increasing roleFilled with examples and forward-thinking guidance from renowned BA leaders Gert Laursen and Jesper Thorlund, Business Analytics for Managers offers powerful techniques for making increasingly advanced use of information in order to survive any market conditions.

Author Biography

GERT H.N. LAURSEN is head of customer intelligence at Maersk Line, the largest containerized shipping company in the world. He focuses on helping product-oriented organizations become more customer-centered through the use of various data sources, including data warehousing, questionnaires, and one-to-one interviews with customers, first-line staff, sales organizations, and other subject matter experts.

JESPER THORLUND is a business intelligence consultant and frequent speaker on business intelligence, business analytics, and microeconomics throughout Europe.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Introduction	p. xi
What Does BA Mean? Information Systems-Not Technical Solutions	p. xiv
Purpose and Audience	p. xvi
Organization of Chapters	p. xix
Why the Term Business Analytics?	p. xx
The Business Analytics Model	p. 1
Overview of the Business Analytics Model	p. 2
Deployment of the BA Model	p. 6
Conclusions	p. 12
Business Analytics at the Strategic Level	p. 17
Link Between Strategy and the Deployment of BA	p. 18
Strategy and BA: Four Scenarios	p. 19
Which Information Do We Prioritize?	p. 31
Summary	p. 40
Development and Deployment of Information at the Functional Level	p. 43
Case Study: A Trip to the summerhouse	p. 46
Establishing Business Processes with the Rockart Model	p. 55
Example: Establishing New Business Processes with the Rockart Model	p. 57
Optimizing Existing Business Processes	p. 65
Example: Deploying Performance Management to Optimize Existing Processes	p. 67
Which Process Should You Start with?	p. 72
A Catalogue of Ideas with KPIs for the Company's Different Functions	p. 90
Summary	p. 91
Business Analytics at the Analytical Level	p. 93
Data, Information, and Knowledge	p. 94
Analyst's Role in the BA Model	p. 95
Three Requirements the Analyst Must Meet	p. 98
Required Competencies for the Analyst	p. 101
Hypothesis-Driven Methods	p. 117
Data Mining with Target Variables	p. 120
Explorative Methods	p. 127
Business Requirements	p. 130
Summary	p. 134
Business Analytics at the Data Warehouse Level	p. 137
Why a Data Warehouse?	p. 137
Architecture and Processes in a Data Warehouse	p. 140
Tips and Techniques in Data Warehousing	p. 160
Summary	p. 168
The Company's Collection of Source Data	p. 169
What Are Source Systems, and What Can They Be Used for?	p. 170
Which Information Is Best to Use for Which Task?	p. 174
When There is More Than One Way to Get the Job Done	p. 177
When the Quality of Source Data Fails	p. 179
Summary	p. 180
Structuring of a Business Intelligence Competency Center	p. 183
What Is a Business Intelligence Competency Center?	p. 183
Why Set Up a Business Intelligence Competency Center?	p. 184
Tasks and Competencies	p. 185
Centralized or Decentralized Organization	p. 191
When Should a BICC Be Established?	p. 197
Summary	p. 200
Assessment and Prioritization of BA Projects	p. 201
Is it a Strategic Project or Not?	p. 201
Uncovering the Value Creation of the Project	p. 203
When Projects Run Over Several Years	p. 209
When the Uncertainty Is Too Big	p. 211
Projects as Part of the Bigger Picture	p. 214
Summary	p. 222
Business Analytics in the Future	p. 223
Index	p. 231
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