breakthrough business intelligence -...

IN ASSOCIATION WITH:

BREAKTHROUGHBUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

HOW STRONGER GOVERNANCEBECOMES A FORCE FOR ENABLEMENT

Introduction/Key Findings

Part One: Companies Are Reporting Significant Benefits From Their BI Programs

CASE STUDY—CA Technologies: Look Forward and Outward (Not Inward and Backward)

Part Two: But There’s Much More to Be Done to Improve Business via BI

CASE STUDY—Bajaj Auto: Using Data to Deliver Remarkable Results

Part Three: Improving BI: The Key Catalyst Is Governance

CASE STUDY—MTS Sensor Technologies GmbH & Co.

CASE STUDY—Singapore Management University: Determining Which Data Is Useful

Part Four: Conclusion: Governance Enables Success

Methodology

Acknowledgments

CONTENTS

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2 | BREAKTHROUGH BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

INTRODUCTION

In research conducted by Forbes Insights, organizations report that they are obtaining breakthrough returns

from investments in business intelligence (BI). BI solutions are embedded throughout industry leaders across

the world. Meanwhile, with so many more data and self-service analysis solutions at their fingertips, executives

and their reports are being transformed from mere managers to true information workers. The success of these

programs is yielding substantial benefits, both tangible and intangible.

But despite such positive results, executives nonetheless recognize that there’s much more to be achieved.

Companies today are concerned they may be leaving too much potential BI-generated performance on the

table; fewer than half feel they are gaining full benefit from their programs. In particular, executives report that a

variety of issues remain a concern. Key among these: less than optimal adoption rates, lingering silos, multiple

“versions of the truth” and security.

The way forward? It may sound counterintuitive, but to achieve breakthrough performance in harnessing

insights from data, companies need to pay closer attention to data governance. Stronger governance helps

ensure not only consistent but also reliable and optimized results. This in turn delivers stronger data-driven

performance, leading to even greater awareness, momentum and adoption.

The challenge: developing governance processes that can co-exist with the need for greater data access and

flexibility among distributed knowledge workers.

3|COPYRIGHT © 2016 FORBES INSIGHTS

BI programs are today delivering remarkable business results. Four out of five organizations (81%) report that

they are experiencing “very significant” (45%) or significant (36%) business benefits from their BI programs.

These findings are consistent across industries and geographies.

But as e�ective as BI can be, a range of issues continue to plague the realization of its full potential, including

inconsistent data, multiple versions of the truth, inconsistent formulas/definitions and limited adoption across

the enterprise. The common thread: all can be addressed via better governance.

As a result, less than half of survey respondents (48%) feel their current approach is yielding full advantage of

the business improvement opportunities a�orded by BI.

In terms of benefits to date from BI, in three out of four cases, respondents say they are realizing a mix of

tangible and intangible benefits—in both instances substantial. The benefits also span a wide range of organi-

zational activities and business processes. These include improved customer metrics, accelerated time to

market, stronger product and service mixes, enhanced brand valuation and recognition, and higher

profitability.

Executives recognize the importance of governance in BI, as over three-quarters (78%) say data governance

is either vital or important to their BI operations, and 65% say governance is a useful means to empower

end-users to uncover new insights.

Most say they are taking important steps in governance, with 83% managing data access at the departmental

level, 81% assigning data access by role, and 76% mandating the use of specific BI solutions and dashboards.

Though such actions may moderate BI, in the broader context of operations, they tend to improve overall

outcomes.

Fifty-seven percent agree or strongly agree that end-users who acquired or developed their own BI systems

independent of a centralized BI or IT function are today turning to centralized IT or BI departments for

enhanced governance. This is yet another indication of the importance of governance in getting the most

from BI solutions.

Going forward, the structure of BI will feature:

Less IT control

An increase in standalone, independent BI functions

Greater structure, planning, and governance; fewer ad hoc characteristics

A greater mix of centralized/decentralized approaches

All amid a greater understanding of the vital role of governance in improving—not restricting—the perfor-

mance of BI.

KEY FINDINGS


Speak with a range of executives and each will have

their own definition of business intelligence (BI). Still,

one of the most widely accepted general descrip-

tions comes from Gartner:

Business intelligence: An umbrella term that

includes the applications, infrastructure and tools,

and best practices that enable access to and analysis

of information to improve and optimize decisions and

performance.1

1Gartner IT glossary, http://www.gartner.com/it-glossary/?s=Business+intelligence

Figure 1. Across the full spectrum of industries and countries surveyed, BI delivers significant benefits

By Industry: By Country:

Business or Commercial Services

Retail

Banking

Insurance

Manufacturing

Healthcare

Financial Services

Automotive

Media & Entertainment

India

Italy

Netherlands

Germany

France

Japan

Spain

US

Consumer Packaged Goods

Sweden

Life Sciences

Energy

88%

86%

85%

85%

81%

81%

80%

76%

76%

75% 69%

92%

86%

86%

86%

84%

81%

81%

78%

72%

74%

68%

UK

I. Companies Are Reporting Significant Benefits From Their BI Programs

Regardless of the precise definition, BI programs are

today delivering remarkable business results.Four

out of five organizations (81%) report that they are

experiencing “very significant” (45%) or “significant”

(36%) business benefits from their BI programs.

Moreover, it doesn’t seem to matter which industry is

under the microscope—the results are still highly

positive. As Qlik’s Mike Saliter, VP of global industry

solutions, explains, “The beauty of analytics is that it

doesn’t matter whether it’s a [sole proprietor] pizza

shop, a [large-cap industrial] startup technology com-

pany or anything in between: done well, there can be

quantifiable benefits in any organization.”

[BI] helps us break down and continuously refine and improve our performance against processes that drive objectives.

—Kai Cheong LauCIO, Singapore Management University

“


Benefits abound

Reported improvements, respondents say, are in

three out of four cases (76%) a mix of tangible and

intangible benefits—in both instances substantial.

The benefits also span a variety of organizational

activities ranging from stronger product/service

mixes, enhanced brand valuation/recognition and

higher profitability to improved customer metrics and

accelerated time to market.

For a strong example, consider New York-based

enterprise software developer CA Technologies.

Saum Mathur, SVP, big data analytics & information

management, says that the firm derives “enormous

benefits from our work in BI.” Mathur splits such

benefits into two key categories, strategic and tacti-

cal.

In terms of strategic benefits, big data and related

work “gives us a clearer idea of which sorts of com-

panies should buy from us; who are the most likely

prospects.” On a tactical level, BI helps the company

identify specific individuals within each company

who are the most likely buyers or influencers for CA

Technologies products and services. Mathur uses

data to sharpen the company’s marketing and sales

focus from “B2B” to “B2I—business to individual.”

B2I, says Mathur, reflects a seismic shift as “digital

transformation brings about the rise of the individu-

al.” In the rise of the “App economy,” traditional

means of engaging with B2B customers are disap-

pearing or “gone.” As Mathur continues, whether for

a business customer or an individual, “everything

happens online.” To hold on to a competitive advan-

tage, “companies must arm their sales and marketing

with new strategies that focus on knowing their

customers as individuals, and reaching them in ways

that will influence these key business decision

makers to buy.” As such, says Mathur, B2I is far more

precise, leading to benefits such “as greater sales-

force e�ectiveness and higher conversion rates.”

The value of intangibles

The true benefits of BI are likely even more signifi-

cant than most executives are able to measure. “It’s

relatively easy to measure how BI can help cut costs

and drive revenues. For example, conversion rates

improve, product cross-selling increases or expens-

es are reduced,” says Saliter. Far more di�cult: plac-

ing a value on benefits such as improving product

quality or making better decisions faster. Saliter

concludes, “The true business benefits of delivering

greater business insight into the hands of more

people—of empowering decision makers faster—is

likely far greater than most recognize.”

Kai Cheong Lau, CIO of Singapore Management

University, expresses complete agreement. BI drives

process improvements, certainly, but the true value

of BI, says Lau, “is that it can empower an organiza-

tion to achieve its core objectives.” For SMU, Lau

explains, “the two things that matter most are how

well we deliver our teaching and learning and how

e�ectively we create new knowledge and research.”

BI “helps us break down and continuously refine and

improve our performance against all of the process-

es that drive those two objectives.”

Similarly, Lau describes how BI is being used to

improve the curriculum for targeted sets of attend-

ees. The university, Lau explains, “gets its students

from many sources.” Using BI, “we can see how

di�erent [sets of] students are performing in various

classes.” From this, “we are able to do a more e�ec-

tive job of aligning classwork to be more appropriate

for specific groups of students.”

Going forward, says Lau, BI is catching on quickly at

SMU. Five or six years ago, when the program start-

ed, “it was di�cult for us to explain the benefits.”

Today, however, “we have many champions in the

[organization] who are [quite vocal],” and thus, says

Lau, “we are expanding our reach, developing more

dashboards for more business [units] all the time.”

The benefits of BI are a mix of tangible and intangible benefits—substantial in both cases

The benefits are primarily tangible

The benefits are primarily intangible 76%

17%

7%

Figure 2. BI drives substantial tangible and intangible benefits

Figure 3. Where is BI driving results?

Brandvaluation/

recognitionLogisticsPricingRevenuesEmployee

metricsProfitabilityTime tomarket

Customermetrics

Product/service mix

90% 71% 69% 67% 66% 61% 58% 58% 52%


In this sense, says Lau, “BI is an essential and invalu-

able tool.” BI “leads to better decisions, more

e�cient processes and better coordination across

the university.” Though performance improvements

can indeed be measured in virtually “every instance

where we have applied BI [solutions],” overall, “you

cannot put a price that would equate with its real,

total value.”

Benefits from BI for SMU abound. For example,

productivity savings range from 30% to 50% in

analyzing student data and meeting statutory report-

ing requirements, thanks to clearer and more

e�cient access to data.


CASE STUDY

Saum Mathur, SVP, big data analytics & information management, at CA Technologies, believes there is no ques-

tion that companies should be doing more to harness BI insights from their enterprise data. But traps to avoid,

adds Mathur, include focuses on purely internal or past data. The value of BI, says Mathur, stems from looking

“forward” and “outward.”

As Mathur explains, for some products, “historical data may be helpful.” But in technology, “our world changes

constantly.” So while historical enterprise data may be helpful to a degree, where the company derives its real

value from BI “is through the use of external data, showing us where the market is going.”

A key problem with enterprise data is that it can be “limited in its accuracy because the market, customer buying

patterns and products change so quickly in our industry,” says Mathur. In addition, “it only shows what [a custom-

er] buys or has bought from us.” But the more important questions, says Mathur, are “what are they buying in

total, from all sources, and what do they actually need?” CA Technologies knows the traits of those most likely

to buy its products. So by harnessing and analyzing external data, the company can build a more complete

picture of business at large in order to better identify, prioritize and target likely prospects.

Such analysis looks at current sales, but also develops a snapshot of a prospect’s propensity to buy based on

their strategies, interests and buying patterns. By taking a look “at their demand side—what are they procuring?”

for example, Mathur’s team is able to identify growth before it translates into published revenue or income state-

ments. Similarly, CA Technologies combs through external data sources such as social media data to identify

surges in interest and intent to purchase in any given company, often a signal of growth in the works. (Note: the

survey shows 42% respondents using social media in their BI programs, rising to 55% over the next 18 months.)

Overall, says Mathur, businesses that are experiencing strong growth, participating in the "App economy,"

and/or are undergoing digital transformation tend to be solid candidates for the company’s products. Conse-

quently, “we seek to build the whole picture to see if they fit the profile to be a buyer of our products and

improve our targeting.”

“—Saum Mathur

SVP, Big Data Analytics & Information Management, CA Technologies

[Enterprise data] only shows what [a customer] buys or has bought from us.” [The more important questions are] “what are they buying in total, from all sources, and what do they actually need?”

Figure 4. Social media on the rise

18%

12%

15%

12%

25%

21%

23%

37%

19%

18%

Now

Next 18 months

Not At All 2 3 4 5 • Extensively

CA TECHNOLOGIES:LOOK FORWARD AND OUTWARD (NOT INWARD AND BACKWARD)

For starters, less than half of survey respondents

(48%) feel their current approach is yielding full

advantage of the business improvement opportuni-

ties a�orded by BI.

Figure 5. Less than half are gaining full advantage of the business improvement opportunities a�orded by BI

By Industry:

Energy

Media & Entertainment

Services

Financial Services

Banking

Insurance

Retail

Consumer Packaged Goods

Pharma/life sciences

Germany

France

Netherlands

Italy

India

Spain

US

UK

Public sector/government

Japan

Technology (software)

Healthcare

64%

56%

52%

52%

52%

48%

45%

45%

44%

44% 33%

58%

57%

50%

53%

48%

48%

46%

41%

42%

41%

38%

By Country:

Sweden


II. But There’s Much More to Be Done to Improve Business via BI

As positive as the preceding news may first appear,

the fact is, companies still have a long way to go if

they hope to extract optimal value from BI. There’s

no question that today’s programs are delivering

significant value. Nonetheless, the survey and the

interviews highlight an array of shortcomings.

The deeper the survey drills, the more shortcomings

are revealed. For example, companies report:

Inconsistent data sources Three out of five com-

panies (61%) say their organization experiences

significant instances where needed or useful data

isn’t always available. For various reasons, the

data source—which could be anything from a

supplier, partner, government agency or related

business unit—is on again/o� again or completely

shuts o�.

Incomplete data Nearly as large a percentage

(57%) say their BI operations su�er from occasion-

al bouts of incomplete data—a figure increasing to

73% among manufacturers.

Di�culty accessing data Less than half (46%) say

line-of-business leaders, business analysts,

customer-facing employees and those similarly

placed to create value for the business have

unencumbered access to all of the data and solu-

tions they need. Essentially, over half are saying

more attention is needed.

Lack of access to solutions Three out of five, 63%,

say they need to take more steps to place more

data and analysis solutions in the hands of deci-

sion makers.

Limited views into the business A mere 38%

agree or agree strongly (31% and 7%, respectively)

that their current set of BI solutions provides their

business units with a complete picture of their

operations. At best, this means 62% of companies

believe greater BI resources are needed in a

wider range of functions and processes. At worst,

those failing to express such agreement are

indicating that BI as currently practiced could in

fact be leading to false conclusions based on

incomplete data.

The issues hampering optimum e�ectiveness of BI

programs do not stop there. Asked to acknowledge

whether or not their organizations are experiencing

significant instances of a range of BI obstacles and

challenges, respondents frequently reported:

Only 45% say they are absolutely certain

(26%) or certain (18%) that all BI teams are

using the same data (33% healthcare, 32%

media and entertainment, 27% telecom).

Only 50% are absolutely certain (34%) or

certain (16%) that all end-users have access to

the latest updates to their datasets.

Only 45% are absolutely certain (25%) or

certain (20%) that their teams are using abso-

lutely consistent formulas, definitions and

terminology relating to key measures across

the enterprise (20% CPG).


Data silos Fifty-six percent of organizations—rising

to 76% and 68%, respectively, among healthcare

and financial services firms—report instances when

data is inaccessible or not widely shared. This can

be caused by perceptions that privacy or regulato-

ry issues (such as HIPAA data in healthcare)

prevent such sharing. But in truth, says Saliter, “in

most cases, providing self-service BI capabilities

with governed data will result in greater sharing

and use.”

Multiple “versions of the truth” Over half, 53%

(rising to 68% in media and entertainment and 67%

in healthcare) say that their BI processes deliver

inconsistent or unreliable conclusions. This is most

often the result of a lack of BI oversight or gover-

nance, leading to di�erent groups using varying

formulas, definitions or datasets—all of which is

confirmed by these findings:


Figure 6. Symptoms of less-than-optimal BI

61% 57% 56% 53%

Inconsistentdata sources

Incompletedata

Data silos Multiple “versionsof the truth”

Most frequent in…

69% 73% 76% 68% 68% 67%

Services Manufacturing Healthcare Financialservices

M&E Healthcare

Users are readily able to discover, use and build upon relevant work developed by other users

Our BI function has strong control of and insight into our BI processes and solutions

Our BI function rapidly and capably assimilates and disseminates techniques, applications, insights, visualizations and related advances developed by end-users

Users are readily able to produce faster/better results owing to access to ready-made applications/visualization/dashboards or related BI assets

Figure 7. There is room for significant improvement

The simple truth is that, as successful as BI is already proving, executives recognize that their organizations can

do better.

50%

34%

54%

56%


CASE STUDY

Rajeev Jorapur is the VP of management information systems at India-based Bajaj Auto Limited. Upon joining

the firm in 2013, his “objective was to grow our BI function. We suspected we were sitting on a lot of valuable

data, but other than exporting data to a few spreadsheets and generating a few reports, we weren’t extracting

more value out of it.”

Indeed, the company had a number of enterprise-level BI assets in place. But “what we needed,” says Jorapur,

“were ways to more clearly visualize, assess the quality of and develop a better understanding of what data

would be the most actionable.”

After considering an array of what Jorapur refers to as “discovery [solutions and] tools,” the company settled

on o�erings from Qlik. Overall, says Jorapur, “Qlik was the most useful for visualization, formatting and discov-

ery, as well as easy to learn, which is [vital] to implementation and adoption.”

One of the first questions explored: how could the company use the data related to its retail business to

increase its domestic sales? As Jorapur recalls, “We were doing well in international markets, but not at home.”

Turning its BI focus to dealership performance, breakthrough insights soon followed. “We could see which deal-

ers performed well for us—and we were able to develop some good ideas about how they function.” From

there, it was a simple—but disciplined—matter of reconfiguring the network, taking steps such as upgrading

processes at underperforming dealerships.

Bajaj Auto now shares performance tracking as well as sales targeting data throughout its domestic dealership

network. In terms of governance, the data model, solutions and dashboards are “modeled centrally.” Mean-

while, individual dealerships “see only that data for which they are authorized via a secure network.”

Using data to improve dealer performance delivers “remarkable” results, says Jorapur. Dealers, for example,

were able to reduce administrative costs by 50%. Insights gained also enabled dealers to increase follow-up

calls to prospects and customers by more than 50%. Both moves, notes Jorapur, helped drive profitability for

the dealers. Overall, “it paved the way for data-driven marketing and service campaigns, enhanced warranty

analytics, gave real-time visibility into the performance of new-product launches—and increased the ease of

doing business.”

Nonetheless, the BI journey at Bajaj Auto is by no means at an end. As Jorapur concludes, “We are really just

at the beginning; there are many additional areas yet to be explored.”

—Rajeev Jorapur VP of Management Information Systems, Bajaj Auto Limited

What we needed were ways to more clearly visualize, assess the quality of and develop a better understanding of what data would be the most actionable.

BAJAJ AUTO:USING DATA TO DELIVER REMARKABLE RESULTS

“


As e�ective as BI can be, think about all of the issues

that plague the realization of its full potential: incon-

sistent data, multiple “versions of the truth,” inconsis-

tent formulas and definitions, and limited adoption

across the enterprise. The common thread: all can be

addressed via better governance.

The term “governance” has a bad reputation at most

companies, says CA Technologies’ Mathur, “because

most people associate that term with strict control.”

Consequently, the term is “banned in association with

BI” at CA Technologies, where it has been replaced

with the term “enablement.” Indeed, says Mathur,

steps such as standardization of definitions and

formulas, improving data security and enabling

secure access—all steps typically associated with

governance—“are the means to enabling better BI.”

Venilla Vetrivillalan is senior manager, integrated

information technology services, at Singapore Man-

agement University (SMU). Vetrivillalan agrees that

the role of governance is to provide the “foundation,”

which in turn “improves the experience for users.”

This, she says, “drives adoption, success, innovation

and further improvements.”

Over three-quarters (78%) say data governance

is either vital (60%) or important (18%) to their BI

operations, while 59% say governance is critical

to “all we do”

65% say governance is a useful means to

empower end-users to uncover new insights

53% say governance is a compliance require-

ment that limits agility (70% insurance; 64%

financial services; 62% telecommunications)

Moreover, most say they are taking important steps in

governance. For example, 83% manage data access

at the departmental level, while 81% assign data

access by role. Three out of four (76%) mandate the

use of specific BI solutions/dashboards. Note that

while such steps are important, they need to be

executed within the broader context of enhancing

the overall value of a BI program.

III. Improving BI: The Key Catalyst Is GovernanceThe survey indicates that companies indeed recog-

nize the critical role of governance within BI. Among

core findings:

MTS SENSOR TECHNOLOGIES GMBH & CO. CASE STUDY

Most executives say they are taking important steps in governance. The survey, for example, shows that 83%

manage data access at the departmental level, and 81% assign data access by role. Three out of four (76%) man-

date the use of specific BI solutions/dashboards. While such steps are important, they need to be executed

within the broader context of enhancing the overall value of a BI program.

Controlling who is able to see what data and when is actually a means to enabling broader general access to

data– this is an idea that absolutely resonates with Carolin Borchert, worldwide business systems analyst, data

warehouse & analytics, at Germany’s MTS Sensor Technologies GmbH & Co. “When customers have a question,

it is very important that our people can provide the correct answers,” says Borchert. But due to data privacy rules

and related considerations, access to customer data must be carefully managed.

So MTS uses Access Point, an application within QlikView, to control access to its Qlik-based solutions. “We have

very good control: there’s a single sign-on, but from there we can adjust what each person sees; the kinds of

data they can access.” For example, “a sales manager may only see customers in their own region.” Today, the

company has 110 users, but the workload to manage the program is still “quite small.” As Borchert explains: Qlik

“allows us to set easy rules using scripts to structure the data.” Overall, says Borchert, “governance is critical, but

it is because we have strong governance that we can provide our people with so much access to data.”


Overall, three out of five companies (59%2), already

indicate that they believe their governance e�orts

are either e�ective (30%) or highly e�ective (30%)

within BI operations. However, the earlier mentioned

list of value-eroding/limiting challenges and

concerns remains inescapable. All are symptoms of

inadequate governance; all can be addressed via a

more consistent approach to governance.

Another key trend: 57% either agree or strongly agree (27% and 30%, respectively) that end-users who

acquired or developed their own BI systems independent of a centralized BI or IT function are today turning to

our centralized IT or BI department for enhanced governance. What this indicates is that while early e�orts

were no doubt successful, knowledge workers themselves are realizing their companies can go still further

with a more coordinated, disciplined e�ort. In short, this finding demonstrates end-users recognize that greater

governance can lead to better outcomes.

2Di�erence due to rounding.

“—Carolin Borchert

Worldwide Business Systems Analyst, Data Warehouse & Analytics, MTS Sensor Technologies GmbH & Co

Governance is critical, but it is because we have strong governance that we can provide our people with so much access to data.

Figure 8. Companies are taking important steps in governance

83% 81% 76%

manage data access at thedepartmental level

assign data access by role mandate the use of specificBI solutions/dashboards

Mandating specific dashboards, one of the core

governance steps revealed by the survey, can help

companies address challenges such as inconsistent

data, formats, formulas or similar problems. The most

experienced data executives do the background

work to ensure solution integrity and to provide the

lion’s share of core information, but end-user knowl-

edge workers have anytime, anywhere access along

with the flexibility to run their own analyses.


The key: control amid balance

Though companies are recognizing the vital impor-

tance of sound governance practices, they are by no

means seeking to create any sort of inflexible BI

leviathan. Rather, the survey shows that more compa-

nies will be migrating BI from a function controlled by

IT into either (a) a dedicated BI function, or even more

so, (b) a more even mix of centralization/decentraliza-

tion. In general, BI is becoming less of an ad hoc

endeavor implemented by business units and more

of a well-planned and implemented group-wide strat-

egy. Fundamentally sound governance is vital to

these e�orts—but it is being implemented within an

ethos of enablement, not control.

Note that today, most companies (68%) say their BI

function exhibits a relatively even mix of centraliza-

tion and decentralization. Specifically:

Going forward, the structure of BI will feature less IT

control alongside an increase in standalone, inde-

pendent BI functions. In addition, BI will exhibit fewer

ad hoc characteristics while adopting a broader mix

of coordination between centralized and decentral-

ized approaches overall. Greater governance is

becoming evident. But at the same time, companies

are recognizing the importance of enabling greater

access to the field.

In the end, a key challenge of any self-service envi-

ronment is that executives are able to obtain access

to information very quickly. “Governance requires a

really fine balance—governing to the point where

consistency is assured, but flexibility remains,” says

Saliter. “There is no perfect formula, but finding the

right governance level within your organization’s

culture is a critical component to making the most of

BI opportunities.”

The face of BI is shifting… Today Next 18 months LESS IT CONTROL BI managed by IT 18% 11%

Dedicated BI function within IT 24% 14%

GREATER INDEPENDENCE Independent BI function 16% 24%

LESS AD HOCAd hoc/distributed (end-users handle) 21% 17%

GREATER COORDINATIONMix of centralized/distributed 21% 34%

“—Mike Saliter

VP, Global Industry Solutions, Qlik

Governance requires a really fine balance—governing to the point where consistency is assured, but flexibility remains.

Figure 9. Which of the following best describes your approach to BI?

19% of users obtain access to applications,

tools, dashboards, datasets and visualizations

that are centrally created/controlled

13% of users create their own applications,

tools, dashboards, datasets and visualizations

68% experience a relatively even mix of the two


One of the key challenges in BI is determining what data can actually be useful. At Singapore Management

University (SMU), “we took a three-step approach” to initial development work, explains Venilla Vetrivillalan,

senior manager, integrated information technology services.

Although executives “need and use information,” says Vetrivillalan, “they often won’t be able to tell you what

their most important KPI might be.” So the IT manager begins the process with a “bottom up” study. Here, says

Vetrivillalan, “we categorize the data that is available, what is captured at the source and could be used later in

the process.”

Step two, “we work with the senior managers to get a clear idea of the kinds of decisions they are making and

need to make.” Armed with information about what might be made available, Vetrivillalan is in a strong position

to have a meaningful dialogue, adding value to the process. Here, the executive explains, “we begin prototyp-

ing the KPIs” that will be tracked on dashboards to come.

Step three “is where we work backward: we can see what data we have, we can see what the executives need,

and we can pinpoint any gaps in the data.” Missing pieces, says Vetrivillalan, are often surprisingly easy to fill

in. “About 30% to 40% of the time, it’s available in a spreadsheet somewhere that no one knew to [track down].”

Alternatively, “it could be lying on the desk of someone senior” who might not recognize its value to others.

Bottom line, says Vetrivillalan, “once we know what data we really need, we can break down the silos and get

it done.”

The role of governance

Governance, says Vetrivillalan, is critical. “We have to avoid incomplete data sets, corrupted data, [faulty defini-

tions and formulas] as well as [improper] access and [other breaches] of data privacy.” So SMU is careful to

designate an orthodoxy of data owners (ultimate authority), data stewards (shared responsibility) and data

users. “Who generates and authenticates the data, who can see it and use it—the rules are very clear and very

strict.”

But ultimately, says Vetrivillalan, governance is not so much a force for control, but rather a driver of success.

“If the data is no good, if the dashboards are ine�ective, then we obtain no value from BI.” Sound governance,

concludes the executive, is what turns BI from a hit-or-miss proposition to something capable of “sustainable

success.” Without sound governance, “you cannot build forward.”

“—Venilla Vetrivillalan

Senior Manager, Integrated Information Technology Services,Singapore Management University

If the data is no good, if the dashboards are ine�ective, then we obtain no value from BI.

CASE STUDY

SINGAPORE MANAGEMENT UNIVERSITY:DETERMINING WHICH DATA IS USEFUL


The common thread among these and many related

issues is that they can all be addressed through

enhanced governance.

But if governance is to succeed, this cannot be the

traditional command-and-control approach of old.

Rather, to be widely successful—to engage all those

in the organization who stand to benefit from more

e�ective data analysis—any approach to governance

must adopt a sense of enablement.

IV. Conclusion: Governance Enables Success

It is indeed a grassroots data revolution. Better BI

solutions in the hands of more analysts and manag-

ers are delivering breakthroughs in business perfor-

mance. But as successful as such programs are prov-

ing, executives themselves recognize an array of

issues that are hampering further advances. Key

among these:

Inconsistent definitions and formulas

Limited adoption

Multiple “versions of the truth”

Silos

Data security and privacy

Leaders in this revolution are not seeking to limit

access to data, but rather, to actively promote its

value and usage.

It is within this context that BI teams should not only

develop but also work to help users understand the

importance of core governance practices. It is only

through sound governance that users will be able to

consistently rely on their own analysis and insights.

And, as more and more astute analysis prompts still

more business success, both adoption rates and

compliance with core policies become optimized. In

the end, sound governance really is the means to

optimized enablement.


METHODOLOGY The insights and commentary found in this report are derived from both a global survey and one-on-one

interviews.

The survey ran from July to August 2016 and was completed by 437 respondents (see appendix below). Addi-

tional insight was obtained from interviews with a handful of executives. Those named in the research include:

Forbes Insights and Qlik are grateful to our named interviewees and survey respondents.

APPENDIX: SURVEY DEMOGRAPHICSLOCATION: U.S. (17%), EMEA (56%), APAC (24%)

EMEA: France (8%), Germany (8%), Italy (8%), Netherlands (8%), Spain (8%), Sweden (8%), U.K. (8%)

APAC: Japan (8%), India (8%), Australia (4%), New Zealand (4%)

TITLE: CIO (44%), VP/Business Unit Director (33%), CFO/Treasurer/Controller (9%), Chief Marketing O�cer (8%)

INDUSTRY: Automotive (6%), Banking (6%), Consumer Packaged Goods (5%), Energy (6%), Financial Services

(6%), Healthcare (5%), Insurance (6%), Manufacturing/Industrial (8%), Media & Entertainment (6%), Pharmaceuti-

cals/Life Sciences (6%), Public Sector/Government (6%), Technology/Software (6%), Telecommunications (6%),

Retail (7%), Services (10%)

To learn more, visit www.qlik.com/whole-story

Carolin Borchert, Worldwide Business Systems Analyst, Data Warehouse & Analytics, MTS Sensor

Technologies GMBH & Co

Rajeev Jorapur, VP Management Information Systems, Bajaj Auto Limited

Kai Cheong Lau, CIO, Singapore Management University

Saum Mathur, SVP, Big Data Analytics & Information Management, CA Technologies

Mike Saliter, VP, Global Industry Solutions, Qlik

Venilla Vetrivillalan, Senior Manager, Integrated Information Technology Services, Singapore

Management University

499 Washington Blvd., Jersey City, NJ 07310 | 212.367.2662 | www.forbes.com/forbesinsights

FORBES INSIGHTS

Forbes Insights is the strategic research and thought leadership practice of Forbes Media, publisher of Forbes magazine and Forbes.com, whose combined media properties reach nearly 75 million business decision makers worldwide on a monthly basis. Taking advantage of a proprietary database of senior-level executives in the Forbes community, Forbes Insights conducts research on a host of topics of interest to C-level executives, senior marketing professionals, small business owners and those who aspire to positions of leadership, as well as providing deep insights into issues and trends surrounding wealth creation and wealth management.

ABOUTFORBES INSIGHTS

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Erika MaguireDirector of Programs

Andrea Nishi, Project ManagerSara Chin, Project Manager

SALES

North America

Brian McLeod, Commercial [email protected] Muszala, ManagerWilliam Thompson, Manager

EMEA

Tibor Fuchsel, Manager

APAC

Serene Lee, Executive Director

EDITORIAL

Kasia Wandycz Moreno, DirectorHugo S. Moreno, DirectorWilliam Millar, Report AuthorKelly Stahley Crean, Designer

RESEARCH

Ross Gagnon, DirectorKimberly Kurata, Research Analyst

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