We are often told that Business Intelligence, Business Analytics or Management Information is something which large corporates “do”.

Historically, it has been the large corporates who have deployed large scale analytics tools to help them crunch masses of data. If you think of the systems which control Tesco’s Clubcard to ensure customers receive largely relevant offers and vouchers or to the systems which compare pricing across multiple supermarkets. These are all large scale number crunching machines, yet SMEs can benefit from similar data about their customers. SMEs already possess the valuable data in existing systems.

Who should lead BI?

We believe that Business Intelligence (BI) should be led by the senior personnel/owners within an SME. Having a culture of making decisions based upon factual information, showing the importance of data will filter down throughout the organisation.

Who should use BI?

Business owners and Managers should use BI to make rapid and important commercial decisions on a daily basis.

Who should respond to BI?

Managers should use BI to filter tasks to employees, empowering them to drive change and improve performance. The whole organisation will respond positively knowing that all of the team are working towards performance which is being tracked and monitored at a senior level and crucially is measurable.

In summary:

BI is not just an activity for business owners. It is a tool by which to make decisions, empower managers and be embraced. It should not be seen as a separate function but an integrated part of the business.