How do you assess the BI maturity of your organization before choosing a managed service provider?

In my experience, a successful Business Intelligence journey begins with the creation of a well-defined vision and strategy - these must be in harmony with my overreaching business goals and direction. My BI strategy serves as a detailed roadmap for achieving this vision, which involves clearly outlining the kind of data my business would find most relevant. More importantly, identifying the specific outcomes I anticipate from my BI initiatives is of utmost importance. By clarifying these aspects, not only can I succinctly communicate my expectations and goals to prospective Managed Service Providers (MSPs), but it also provides me with a measuring stick to evaluate and compare their offered solutions.

To assess your organization's BI maturity before choosing a managed service provider, start by evaluating your current BI infrastructure and processes. Review data management practices, reporting capabilities, and analytics tools to identify gaps. Define your BI goals, such as advanced analytics or real-time reporting, and check if these align with your business strategy. Examine data quality and governance practices, as these are crucial for effective BI. Finally, assess your BI team's skills to determine if they need external support. This thorough evaluation ensures you select a provider that meets your current needs and supports your long-term BI goals.

I have found that any successful Business Intelligence journey begins by delineating a well-defined vision and strategy - they must dovetail with your encompassing business objectives and trajectory. Your BI strategy serves as the comprehensive roadmap to guide you in attaining this vision - explicitly outlining the type of data that would be most relevant to your business. More importantly, determining the concrete outcomes you envision from your BI initiatives is paramount. Clarifying these facets not only allows you to communicate your expectations and goals succinctly to prospective Managed Service Providers (MSPs) but also equips you with a benchmark to assess and compare their proposed solutions.

Stick to the basics - - what are the organizational and departmental KPIs, how are they currently being measured and what tools are in place to visualize and share that data. There are many effective BI tools in the market, many which are integrated with ERP and Financial systems that can be leveraged. Don't reinvent the wheel, that takes time and money. Just execute, measure and improve.

Every project is expected to be executed under a budget allocated. BI needs will also be required to be executed under budget allocated. Right scopeing needs to be done with respect needs and its impact, urgency. This needs to be checked for feasibility and estimated for resources and cost. Multiple BI may need to compared as partner may try to suffice the requirement with their solution. However, the BI proposal should be evalauted in terms of meeting the requirement under bidhget / time and wioth minimal or no risk to BAU processess. Is the BI proposal creating any value and can mitigate certain issues which may originate in future (anticipated)

Many MSPs provide Power BI as an ‘add-on,’ but it may not necessarily be their primary focus. Power BI and the Power Platform require specific skills. It’s crucial to ensure that your MSP has these skills or is partnering with third parties who do. There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches: sticking with your current MSP, which might outsource the Power BI element, or choosing a specialized Power BI/Power Platform specialist. The key is to make a choice that works best for your unique needs.

Evaluation of all MSPs is required on the evalaution matrix, which can include - Scope covered and relevant experience to deliver the scope - Delivery model and benefits and probable risks - Reference (customer tetsimonial) of the proposed solution - Risks anticpated and how well the mitigation has been planned - Delivery timelines and expected benefit realization time. - Pros and Cons of each MSP proposal

It's important to map your BI capabilities to determine your current position and where you aim to go. You must take into account both your strengths and weaknesses during this analysis. Strengths could be existing skills, solid processes, or robust data infrastructure, while weaknesses might include gaps in skills, outdated processes, or ineffective data governance. By identifying these aspects, you make informed decisions to leverage strengths and bridge the gaps to improve your BI capabilities.