These four types of requirements show up in just about every business intelligence project. Each contains a missed opportunity for the business to get more out of the data warehouse.

photo credit: Harist Refian via Unsplash

1. Give us what we have now
Changes to source applications drive this type of requirement. It is being replaced or upgraded and the current reporting solution will no longer work. The requirement is simple: reproduce exactly what we have now but using data from the new source system. Sometimes this involves using a new BI tool. The challenge is that the new source data never lines up exactly with the old data so effort is spent making the new look like the old. A lot of time gets wasted making the new reports look and behave like the previous ones. Old reports get reproduced even if they are rarely used. The relevancy of dated business rules is not considered.
Missed opportunity:
A cleanup of the report and dashboard inventory which tends to accumulate as business needs evolve. Keep what is still relevant and take the time to analyze what changes to the source system data could help the business.

2. Just show us the raw data
This requirement comes from analysts who want a data dump that they can import into Excel. Excel is the tool they know and having the raw, unfiltered source data puts them in complete control. Seeing this type of requirement usually means that there is a distrust of IT driven projects or a history of data warehouse projects that did not deliver. It could also be that the current BI system is inadequate or hard to use.
Missed opportunity:
Analysts interested in using raw data are the IT department’s best allies. They recognize the value of data and they can articulate in detail what they need to see. The missed opportunity is to deploy a self-service solution that combines the benefits of a data warehouse (structured, cleansed, secure data) and gives analysts the freedom to explore and experiment. Some of the cumbersome things they are doing in Excel can move to the database or BI layer, freeing up their time for more business focused work.

3. The KPI explosion
This happens in companies where management is using the Balanced Scorecard, Six Sigma or some other data-driven management methodology. The intention is good, after all, what gets measured gets done. However, in practice, if an executive is faced with dozens (or hundreds!) of KPIs, most of them are ignored. Others don’t change frequently enough to warrant attention.
Missed opportunity:
Dig into what really matters to the business and senior level management. Answer the difficult question of what KPIs are leading indicators of important financial or operational metrics. What metrics can managers and staff realistically influence?

4. The infinite dashboard
Like in the case of the KPI explosion, more is not better. Dashboards with multiple tabs and covered with decorative elements are interesting to look at and are great for demos. However, the design runs counter to the very essence of a BI dashboard: a summary view of aggregated data that tells you at a glance if some part of your business needs attention. Infinite dashboards are caused by too many people involved with the design. Earnest attention to detail leads everybody to wanting a piece of executive dashboard real estate. There are too many conflicting views of what is a business priority.
Missed opportunity:
At the risk of leaving something out, simplify the dashboards. Executives should be able to understand a dashboard style report in seconds, even when viewed on a small smartphone screen. There should be links to detail reports to permit thoughtful analysis of the numbers when time permits.

Gathering coherent requirements for a BI project is a daunting task. Long term, it pays to dig a little deeper into requirements that fall into one of the categories described above so that opportunities to create value for the business are not missed.