Altek Solutions Business Intelligence Blog

So far in my career as a business intelligence consultant, I’ve seen many amazing things.  Human beings are a very innovative species, and people will use whatever tools they have at their disposal.

I’ve seen people connect Microsoft Access to operational databases through ODBC linked tables.  They’d join that data with other data they had either linked or imported, then run some queries.  The resulting data would then be exported to Microsoft Excel for further enhancement and “analysis”.  Finally, they would create some charts and graphs, which would then be exported as GIF files destined for Microsoft Word or the company’s intranet.  I’ve seen this so many times I’ve given it a name – the “Microsoft Method”.

(Some of you are chuckling right now thinking this never happens.  Others are saying that was me, and still others are saying that is me.)

The amazing part of this process was how proficient they would become at what an outsider would view as an extremely convoluted process.  I would sit in awe, watching as the blur of data and queries turned somewhat into a useful and meaningful analysis.

Fully Commit to the Cause

You may recall the story of Hernan Cortés. In 1519, Cortés landed with a fleet of 12 ships near Veracruz, Mexico.  There were 500 Spaniards, 300 natives, a dozen horses and a few cannons. His aim was to conquer the Aztec Empire and take possession of its great wealth.  They were up against incredible odds.

Legend has it that before launching the attack, Cortés ordered the ships to be burned to prevent his men from retreating.  With failure not an option, they had no choice but to fully commit to the cause.  While nobody really knows if this story is accurate, it does bring up a good point.

When we implement a new business intelligence solution for a client, there is always that period where people try to “return to the ship”.  For a time, most things will be easier to do the old way until that learning curve is crested and it’s tempting to retreat to comfort when difficulties arise. To avoid turning around and abandoning your goals, you must make going forward more compelling then going back.

Recently, we were working with a client who had a solution much like the one described above.  To help them achieve their enterprise reporting and analysis goals, we developed a data mart and implemented SAP BusinessObjects.  The users were trained.  The query performance was phenomenal.  The universe was easy to use.  Everything was going great…until a few weeks in one of the analysts slipped back to the “Microsoft Method”.

“But I can do it so much faster there, and besides I’m only using it for a couple of queries I need to get out.”  “I’ll start using WebIntelligence next week.”

In terms of user adoption, it could have been the beginning of the end.  Instead, we sat down with this user and reiterated how much easier his life will be now that he has the proper tools to do his job.  He made a commitment to try SAP BusinessObjects exclusively for one week, and has never looked back.  We made it more compelling for him to move forward than go back.

Burn the Ships, But Spare a Rowboat

Unlike Cortés, I’m not suggesting that the first thing you do on go-live day is wipe out all the other processes you had in place.  That would be foolish.  Instead, be sure that everyone involved with the project has a compelling reason to let go of the old and embrace the new.  Make sure everyone understands the “why” behind the “how”.  Make them part of the initial discussions, and take their input into consideration.  They know their job better than anyone, and will happily work with you if they know it will be easier on them in the long run.

Finally, there may very well be times when you need to temporarily fall back to the way things used to be, especially if the project is being implemented in a phased approach.  And that’s OK.  Just make sure that you’re doing it for the right reasons, and not to avoid climbing the learning curve.  Trust me.  The view looks much better from the other side.

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