Business Intelligence

Business Intelligence for Manufacturing

Business Intelligence for Facilities Management

All companies use computer systems to help manage and control their business. Many of these systems are stand alone and usually department or process specific so the degree of data integration between them is very low if at all. It is also quite common for individuals to create spreadsheets to aid their work remit as all too often the main system either fails to provide the information they seek or presents it in an impractical format. Monthly reports for senior management are usually presented on a departmental basis which tends to obscure the overall picture of the company situation and this lack of visibility can have an adverse impact on the production of a strategic plan. In short, the wealth of data that resides in these systems is not often matched by the information they provide.

The use of a Business Intelligence approach can overcome these difficulties with unrelated data. Indeed, Business Intelligence may be described as the practice of supporting business decision making through the creation of useful information from the morass of raw data that abounds within computer systems. This information can be historical, current or predictive and is derived from multiple unconnected systems and data sources that exist within a business.

This enables management to seek answers to business questions as opposed to determining if a specific department or process is working satisfactorily. For example, if certain changes are made what will be the consequences and when will they occur; is a reasonable return being made on the products and services provided and how can that be improved; etc.

The use of Business Intelligence does reduce costs and optimise returns by providing high quality business information that is sensitive to changing conditions and thus promotes timely decision making.

You do not need to change your systems to do this.  Simply use Business Intelligence to make better use of what you have. It is a low cost high benefit methodology that enables more to be achieved with less resource.