As mentioned in our previous article on business intelligence (BI), the success of a BI project depends on a structured methodology. Here, in detail, are the key steps to successfully completing your project and maximizing your results.
Before plunging into a BI project, you need to know exactly where you want to go. Get your teams together and ask a simple but powerful question: "What results do we want to achieve?". Whether it's identifying your most loyal customers, anticipating your sales, or optimizing your processes, this collective reflection lays the foundations for a solid project.
Next, clarify your priorities: a successful project is based on concrete, well-defined objectives. These objectives will enable you to identify your KPIs (key performance indicators), your allies in measuring your progress. Take a moment to think about the strategic questions: "Where do we hide our opportunities?" or "What impact will this have on our overall performance?"
👉 Living illustration: Do you run an e-commerce site? Imagine discovering the star products in your catalog and scheduling your marketing campaigns at the ideal times. You're not just aiming right, you're aiming high.
With this step, you put all the chances on your side to transform your data into levers of success.
Your data is precious, but to transform it into decision-making levers, it must first be organized and reliable. This starts with centralizing your data. CRM, ERP, marketing platforms, Excel files... Is your information scattered? Bring it all together in one place to break down silos and gain an overview.
Then it's time to clean up: eliminate duplicates, correct errors and harmonize formats. Every piece of data needs to be usable, without loopholes. This is a strategic step: clean data is the basis for relevant analyses.
To save time and avoid errors, rely on ETL (Extract, Transform, Load) tools such as Talend or Informatica. These solutions automate data collection and structuring, allowing you to focus on what's essential: your decisions.
💡 Tip: Automate your processes to ensure your data is always up to date. Well-processed data means analysis that hits the nail on the head!
Now that your data has been centralized and cleansed, it's time to structure it to get the most out of it. Imagine a perfectly organized space where every piece of information is in its place: that's exactly what you're going to create for your data.
It all starts with modeling. Opt for relational models if your data is simple, or multidimensional models for more complex analyses. OLAP cubes, for example, enable you to cross-reference information such as sales by region, period and product in just a few clicks.
Then it's time to prioritize: classify your data by importance for fast, relevant access. This simplifies your analyses and speeds up decision-making.
👉 Case in point: You want to know which products generated the most revenue in a given region? A well thought-out structure will answer this question in an instant.
With optimized organization, your data becomes your best strategic asset.
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This is when your data comes to life and becomes your best ally. With tools like Power BI, Tableau or Qlik, you can turn your figures into strategic decisions in the blink of an eye.
Start by building interactive dashboards. These visualizations offer unparalleled clarity on your performance, while adapting to your priorities. Want to track sales by region or zoom in on star products? It's all possible. Then automate the creation of periodic reports to receive ready-to-use analyses when you need them, with no extra effort.
Last but not least, make it easy to access information with fluid navigation. Your teams need to find key data quickly, without getting lost in complex interfaces.
💬 C ase in point: a real-time dashboard could instantly reveal your growth opportunities or weak points.
With these tools tailored to your needs, your data becomes an actionable resource accessible to all.
Before deploying your BI solution, make sure it is perfectly aligned with your expectations. This step, often likened to a dress rehearsal, ensures that everything runs smoothly at launch.
Start with a consistency check: your data and analyses must reflect reality, without approximation. Then call on your teams. Their feedback is invaluable in checking that dashboards and reports really do meet their needs. The goal? Create a tool that is both reliable and intuitive.
Finally, fine-tune the details as necessary. It could be a visualization that needs clarifying, a KPI that's been misconfigured or a filter that needs optimizing. Every correction strengthens the quality of your solution.
🎭 Customer tip: Think of this phase as a final check before you press "start". It's better to be ready than to take unnecessary risks!
With careful validation, you're offering your teams a BI tool they can rely on.
A BI tool, even a high-performance one, will have no impact if your teams don't know how to use it. Training is therefore the key to transforming your solution into a real performance driver.
Start with tailor-made sessions, adapted to individual needs. Some members will need the basics to navigate dashboards, while others will want to exploit complex analyses. To anchor these skills, offer practical aids: guides, videos or FAQs that are clear and accessible at all times.
Don't forget to provide personalized support. Remain available to answer questions, resolve doubts, and adjust functionalities if necessary. A winning idea? Appoint internal referents, your "BI ambassadors", to help their colleagues on a daily basis and spread best practices.
💡 Customer tip: Create an exchange group to share successes, tips and feedback, to continually evolve the tool.
With a well-trained and confident team, your BI project will have a concrete and lasting impact.
The launch of your BI solution is not the end of the story, but rather the beginning of an ongoing optimization process. To maximize its impact, keep a close eye on its use and evolution.
First, keep a close eye on your teams' adoption. Which tools are they using the most? Are they encountering obstacles? Identify blocking points so you can quickly remedy the situation. Then, adapt your dashboards to new objectives or key indicators. Effective BI needs to adapt to your company's changing priorities.
Finally, evaluate overall performance on a regular basis. Is your data confirming the expected impact? Did a campaign generate a sales spike? Analyze these successes for actionable insights.
📈 Here's a concrete example: does your data show that your product is growing strongly? Adjust your marketing actions to capitalize on this trend.
💡 Customer tip: Schedule quarterly reviews to adjust your analyses and ensure your BI remains a true strategic driver.
The Schmidt Group, a leader in the retail sector, called on Focustribes to reinvent and optimize its BI architecture. The objective: to increase efficiency, improve data management and equip its teams with high-performance tools. A mission successfully accomplished thanks to the expertise of one of our Data Analysts, a member of our community. Curious to find out more? Read the full article!
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