Mike is mortified. He made himself look a complete fool at
the Board meeting this morning. It all stemmed from the
Chairman's seemingly innocuous enquiry as to how the Sales
team was performing against budget. Thereafter, questions
were being fired relentlessly at Mike from all directions.
From his hesitant responses and uncomfortable shuffling in
his seat, it soon became evident that, frankly, Mike didn't
have much of a clue. The Board is made up of a number of
very shrewd, successful business people ' captains of
industry. They recognise a bluff when they see one and have
clearly been unimpressed with his unconvincing responses.
Mike knows that this is not a good or safe place for a
Managing Director to be...
Every few weeks, it's the same old story. It's not as if
Mike doesn't prepare for these arduous meetings. Each of
his managers is tasked beforehand with the job of producing
facts, figures, reports and a host of management
information relevant to his or her own department. Mike is
bombarded with statistics but much of this information
seems to be conflicting, erroneous or irrelevant and, very
probably, is largely based on guesswork. It's Mike's
unenviable brief to try to interpret, analyse and make some
sense out of it all but, without a reliable system in place
to ensure accuracy and plausibility of the data, it's an
utter nightmare. Something needs to be done ' quickly.
Luckily for Mike, as he taps onto the Internet, the
solution is at hand when he finds a specialist in the areas
of data integration, reporting and performance management.
This is a business intelligence consultancy with its finger
firmly on the pulse, having had years of experience and
expertise in capturing, processing and presenting
companies' data and converting it into a useful, useable
format. Its know-how enables any company, large or small,
to implement solutions that will improve its performance
radically and add real value to the business. All of the
critical information assets of the business, be they on a
database or in document form, are dispersed in the right
format throughout the organisation, giving people the
ability to manage data and provide strong reporting
analysis, empowering them to make better informed business
decisions and helping them to drive business efficiency.
Mike contacts one of the consultancy's expert
representatives who, having listened to and evaluated his
business intelligence needs, helps him to identify the key
areas of weakness in his company's data manipulation and
report production. Mike's embarrassment and sense of
failure start to lessen, as he is reassured that he is by
no means alone. Very many people in similar positions face
the same frustrations ' but without the right tools and
technology for the job, he can hardly be expected to
produce credible data and reports that will satisfy his
Board. After all, what can't be measured can't be managed.
Together, Mike and the consultancy's representative plan a
bespoke programme of training for Mike and his senior
managers. The consultancy will advise organisations on
the most suitable technology to be used to access,
distribute, monitor, analyse and report on their data. It
also guarantees that its certified instructors provide the
highest possible standard of instruction, are accredited by
the software vendor and that course materials are
up-to-date and fully quality-assured. After two or three
days of specially tailored tuition and expert mentoring
from an onsite trainer, Mike's managers have already
discovered a new level of understanding and are eagerly
anticipating the forthcoming months, during which they can
expect an exciting cycle of development which will involve
them all, will shape their evolution and undoubtedly result
in countless benefits for their clients..
With a firm strategy in place for taking the company
forward, Mike is happy that he's made a sound investment.
For the first time ever, he's actually looking forward to
the next Board meeting, confident in the knowledge that,
with solid information at his fingertips, no amount of
gruelling questioning can floor him. He's in control.
----------------------------------------------------
Business Intelligence is all about making sure that a
business owner knows what is going on in their business.
This is just what Contemporary a leader in the field of
Business Objects offers. Training, hardware and software
can all be provided. http://www.contemporary.co.uk
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