Do You Need a Power BI Center of Excellence (CoE)?
Coordinated data analytics for more informed decision-making
People generally like to have a wide range of options when it comes to making life’s decisions, large and small. We want to be able to choose from a whole grocery store aisle’s worth of breakfast cereals, comparison shop for items that suit our budgets and lifestyles, and scroll through dozens of streaming offerings before deciding what to watch. At the same time though, a lot of us often find ourselves in a sort of decision paralysis when forced to process so much information and choose from so many options.
Organizations have similar challenges. But when businesses leaders are faced with the vast amounts of information and the velocity at which that information needs to be ingested and analyzed to inform business decisions, they can’t just sit back and scroll a little longer, hoping to land on the best choice. They need to be sure they’re making the most informed decisions possible, and they need to do so as quickly as possible.
This is why many organizations use data analytics technology like Microsoft Power BI. These tools provide a means of pulling insights from vast quantities of data and presenting those insights in a way that promotes informed decision-making. But even when using a tool as robust as Power BI, there may still be room for improvement in your data analytics practice if you’re not fully coordinating your data initiatives across the entire organization.
Consider this statement from analyst firm Gartner:
“Effective decision making in today’s complex and disrupted business environments must be connected, contextual and continuous to drive good outcomes.” — Gartner, How to Make Better Business Decisions, October 2021
This statement is as true today as it was then — if not more so. The article went on to state that “65% of decisions made are more complex (involving more stakeholders or choices) than they were two years ago.” With complexity expected to increase across almost all business areas — from purchasing to supply chains, finance and regulatory functions, human resources, and in the workforce in general — it’s no wonder that organizations need more than just technology to drive sound business decisions.
Get connected, get coordinated
To get the most out of your data analytics practice, you need to coordinate your technology, people, and processes so all stakeholders are on the same page and involved in driving a successful program. Microsoft’s tools have many built-in capabilities to help in this effort, which we discuss more in our article about using Power BI with the new Microsoft Fabric offering. But when it comes to your data analytics practice, we know that achieving the right balance of governance and flexibility — to promote innovation and responsible experimentation — isn’t always easy. This is why Slalom frequently recommends setting up a Power BI center of excellence (CoE). This can be done at any phase of your BI journey, whether you’re just getting started with Power BI, you’re actively using Power BI but want to expand your practice, or if you’ve been running a Power BI program throughout your organization for years.
How do you know if a Power BI CoE will deliver additional benefits to your organization? The checklist below is a good place to start. Think about your data analytics practice and see how many of the following statements apply:
□ When talking about specific business metrics, all teams, departments, locations, and roles are working from the same definitions and your reports all show the same value for those metrics.
□ As you increase the number and complexity of reports you’re generating, you remain compliant with all internal and external data security, privacy, and other usage regulations.
□ When there’s turnover in your data teams or new team members join, you have sufficient documentation and transparency to ensure your data practice continues to operate smoothly.
□ You’re confident that you have the optimal number of Power BI licenses and are staffed with the right number of resources to satisfy your reporting requirements.
□ Your stakeholders are happy with the time it takes to move from identifying a data need to having all the information validated and ready for use (time to insight).
□ Your reports adhere to your organization’s brand and user experience (UX) guidelines and are accessible to everyone who needs them.
If you were able to check all the boxes, you may already have a well-coordinated data analytics practice and are getting the most out of Power BI. But if you found that some of these statements weren’t completely on target with the way you’re currently operating your data analytics practice, then a Power BI CoE could prove beneficial to your organization.
To learn more about how a Power BI CoE could boost the success of your data analytics efforts and deliver improved decision-making for your organization’s leadership, check out our ebook, The ABCs of a Power BI CoE. It offers suggestions for achieving better alignment across your people, processes, and technology with solutions for improving data analytics governance and driving better coordination across your departments, functions, and locations.
Slalom is a global consulting firm that helps people and organizations dream bigger, move faster, and build better tomorrows for all. Learn more and reach out today.
