How is Agile Business Intelligence Effective?

Though many believe that the Agile movement in business and in Business Intelligence, specifically, is about being “quicker and better” than the competition, that is not what makes Agile Business Intelligence effective.  Many people don’t realize that Agile Business Intelligence is not an efficiency process at all.  In fact, Agile Business Intelligence is based on a set of core relational values and is, in effect, an entire a style of completing work.

Agile Business Intelligence is effective for many reasons.  First, Agile Business Intelligence is respectful of the organization.  With the value placed on individuals and building quality relationships, companies and vendors have a chance to develop projects that merge the client and the Business Intelligence vendor.  This high level of communication leads to better clarity about what Business Intelligence is, its limits, and how it can be of the best service to the organization.  Customer collaboration is also a key component to the Agile Business Intelligence movement and as such, creates a vibrant environment where people work together to integrate effective IT and business solutions.

Other attitudes that help to make Agile Business Intelligence effective is in the acknowledgment that companies are working in an ever changing environment.  Business Intelligence vendors who subscribe to the Agile view know that requirements change, not only over the long-term, but over the short-term as well.  With the Agile movement, these changes are welcomed as a normal part of doing business, which takes pressure off of the organization.  When these changes occur, Agile Business Intelligence prioritizes responding to the change quickly as a way to constantly deliver value to the client.  In order for this to be a reality, Agile Business Intelligence vendors expect to have regular collaboration with their own software and technology experts and the organization’s experts. 

Another simple way that Agile Business Intelligence is extremely effective is in its desire to provide a working system.  Business Intelligence that does not work, whether because of data management and integration issues, reporting challenges or limits to hardware or predictive capacity is a hindrance to a company, not a help.  Agile Business Intelligence seeks to minimize those problems and to provide a reliable technology solution for organizations, which again, builds value in the relationship and develops trust over the long term. 

Finally, Agile Business Intelligence values experts on every level.  Whether on the IT side or the business side, having input from a variety of sources is what makes Agile Business Intelligence so effective.  Self-organized or organizationally developed teams provide insight that helps Business Intelligence to be relevant and useful for the client.  Cross-departmental teams that can inform developers as to broad company needs are particularly helpful due to the fact that each member brings departmental representation to the table. 

Clearly, Agile Business Intelligence has a lot to offer in terms of an organic and holistic approach to implementing Business Intelligence into an organization.  If you are looking for a vendor who takes into account your needs, values relationship, desires collaboration and works hard to earn your trust, you may want to look for an Agile Business Intelligence vendor for your business.