Gary Cokins
Manager, Performance Management Solutions at SASUnited States | Professional Services - Information, Technology
What? So what? Then what? … Why not?
Posted
25 days
ago,
6 comments
One of the problems with analytics and business intelligence (BI) information is that these techniques do not always complete the task of solving a problem or moving to the next step of creating and realizing value. I refer to this as the syndrome of “What? So what? Then what?” My concern is that many organizations use analytics and BI to answer only the first question, but then they are stymied when it comes to answering the next two questions.
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Business Analytics – Nonsense or Prudence?
Posted
2 months
ago,
1 comment
Pardon my deception by attracting you to read this blog article by stating “business analytics” in its title. Analytics are a means to an end where the end-game is enterprise performance improvement. That is, analytics are enablers, not necessarily the root cause for improvement. And there are obviously multiple other contributors to organizational improvement including having enough money to spend on improving and having good executive leadership.
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The Ideology Divide Between Intuition and Fact-based Decisions
Posted
3 months
ago,
0 comments
In the USA we witness an ideology divide between its two political parties – the Republicans and Democrats. I will not risk alienating any readers by taking sides. The point I want to make is that when competing ideologies are present, the result can be gridlock with no forward action. My belief is there is currently an ideology divide between an organization’s advocates of applying analytics and those who believe that relying on a sixth sense, gut feel, and intuition is the way to best make decisions.
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Executives: If You Want to Be on the Landing, Then Be on the Take-off
Posted
3 months
ago,
2 comments
I am increasingly detecting concerns from project managers and advocates of analytics-based enterprise performance improvement initiatives that senior executives are not sufficiently on-board or exhibiting buy-in thus jeopardizing the implementation success of the initiative. What is going on?
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How are Business Analysts like Teenagers on the Internet?
Posted
5 months
ago,
0 comments
Business analysts are in some ways similar to teenagers and college students in how they go about exploring to learn things. People like diversions – especially on the Internet – to the point that diversions are almost like an addiction. We know it might not be the best use of our precious time, but we love doing it – even if it is into the wee hours of the morning when we should be sleeping.
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