GIG Presentation: Igniting insight 20 August 2014 Wendy Hamilton Information is the lifeblood of an organisation – but many have poor circulation. Executives need to be at the heart of pumping information This presentation is a case study in enthusing executive management in supporting business intelligence and information management

The Challenge A decade of underinvestment Who’s interested in IM anyway? Not my job/problem. Numerous reviews, but the problem doesn’t go away What is the problem? It’s too hard

Breaking the Impasse Challenges and risks of executive involvement – but you can’t do it without them Everyone has a different idea of what is important Apathy – ‘not my problem’ It’s got something to do with technology, hasn’t it? Not understanding IM or BI Realise that there are 2 conversations in 2 languages – executive & practitioner Speak executives’ language – the language of the business, not the language of information Begin with what they know –show how information can enable the business strategy - ‘information as an enabler; data by design’ to deliver the goals. This becomes your info strategy (how, why, when). Make “information as an asset” tangible and real Opportunities – the projects – start here. What is the information value proposition for the project? Executive intervention – may take patience & perseverance. They care about 2 things: Business transformation Performance measurement: health of org; bottlenecks, pre-emptive action.

Now that you have their attention…. The bad news… The good news… The bad news… Low maturity in IM, BI & data analytics for insight. There are probably pockets of good practice but less so at enterprise level. No silver bullet The foundations are even more important than the products; don’t understand the link between foundations and products. Poor foundations can undermine the products. The good news… (you can have your cake and eat it) BI and IM can be the engine room powering transformation and the health of your organisation You can build products and foundations in parallel

The future is now We are already being asked for the information we need to drive tomorrow We know some of what we want to know (requirements) We know what some of the problems are (we are not getting what we want; gaps) We have mountains of data that can give us insight We already spend a lot (hidden cost). There is money in the system; we have to manage and allocate it better.

The moment of truth We are the answer and we have the answers We need a plan – not just a collection of good things we should do; but coherent, connected actions. Specifics will be different for each organisation but we all: We need to invest in people and skills We need to change the way we behave - culture Yes, we need new systems – but not straight away So where do we begin?

The way ahead Provide context and make it meaningful – build a roadmap or storyboard everyone can relate to Governance is the critical cornerstone Quality, Quality, Quality Value for money The tricky triangle: Change/Cost/Deliverables-Time – only 2 sides are achievable at the cost of the third. Executives have to decide this trade-off.

The storyboard I said earlier I would tell you how I made “information as an asset” meaningful – this is it. Create a storyboard everyone can relate to. My example: BIIM Maturity Journey Make it concrete and meaningful Intuitive – easily understandable and contain key themes that you will later draw on and reference Credible – builds trust and confidence

The results BIIM in the top 3 key strategic priorities – discussed at every board meeting The whole executive team buys in commitment & urgency common goal Action is happening quickly… Governance framework implemented (Tier 2 & 3) Demand pipeline being assessed (to prioritise demand) Resourcing options and structures considered (to better manage supply) Counting the cost; how can we realise better value for money from our investment?

The lessons Be prepared (for executive intervention). When it comes, you need to act quickly. You do need an executive champion Realise that there are 2 conversations in 2 languages – executive & practitioner Use the language of the business – don’t talk about ‘information management’ (insight, outcomes, products) Make it real; concrete rather than conceptual Identify the projects with the most executive visibility and support Use every opportunity – you don’t know which ones will yield the best results Work top down and bottom up Extend your network – you’re going to need it (internal and external) Be patient