How to Prepare Your Business Users and IT Organizations for Dashboards

How to Prepare Your Business Users and IT Organizations for Dashboards Dr. Bjarne Berg COMERIT

The Low Rate of IT Project Success • In a survey of 600 IT and business people, 75% of respondents believed that their projects are either always or usually “doomed” right from the start • 41% of the business people surveyed have this view of IT projects: We spend at least half our time on avoidable project rework, much of this effort is wasted on preventable activities • 78% think the business team “always” or “usually” lacks alignment on project objectives You need to communicate early that dashboard projects are iterative and require multiple go-lives to be successful Create a strategic dashboard release plan Source: Michael Krigsman, "75% believe IT projects are 'doomed'.

What We’ll Cover … • Stepping through a real-world SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards adaptation example • Facilitating BI and dashboard stakeholder management • Developing a dashboard change management strategy • Looking at user training and the BI self-service model • Understanding the role of the BI support organization • Planning for online help and knowledge transfer • Using the Business Readiness Dashboard checklist • Wrap-up

A Real-World SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards Adaptation Example • This project is for travel expense analysis • The color codes communicate changes, year-over-year • Graphs can be displayed many ways • Navigation can be done and can get new query result sets This dashboard is based only on BW query and BICS connector; the cube is in SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator and the dashboard therefore loads in less than 12 seconds

A Real-World SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards Adaptation Example (cont.) Make sure layout, buttons, and colors are consistently used Dashboards are most useful when compared to something This dashboard is relative to a budget Notice that all graphs can be displayed in many ways and that color coding is consistent across the dashboards

A Real-World SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards Adaptation Example (cont.) Don’t cram too much into a single dashboard. Plan on multiple dashboards for each business area. This dashboard groups six different categories and over 30 lines into an easily readable table using a few lines and mostly colors Too many lines and incorrect use of “bold” makes dashboards very hard to read

A Real-World SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards Adaptation Example (cont.) In this dashboard, the graphs are sometimes hard to read, so we added filter selections. Use these carefully, since they are slow and make the Flash files very large. Changes over time are typically tracked in the dashboards Don’t just present numbers, plan on only showing changes • I.e., in amounts and percentages

A Real-World SAP BusinessObjects Dashboards Adaptation Example (cont.) Don’t expect all requirements to come from your users. Be creative and suggest functionality that may be helpful. What-if analysis can be embedded Tables can fill as the time period progresses The more functionality you include, even when not requested, the more likely users will leverage your dashboards

You Can Also Build Self-Service Dashboards • When building dashboards, you can create dashboards that allow users to select measures and navigations, and save their views • Thereby becoming more “self-service” with personalized dashboards and a higher degree of flexibility • In the following step-by-step example from a real company, we will look at some options on how to make this work in practice

First We Build a Template with Selectors Step 2 –Self-service to select any characteristic to filter on. Can select multiple characteristics to filter on, i.e., Month, Plant, Material Group, etc. Step 1 – Provide a self service option to select a group of any 38 key figures available from the BEx Query Step 3 –Self-service option to select any range of dates or selections. The dashboard is designed to limit to 13 characteristic key figures though.

The Measures Can Now Be Selected to Be Displayed Step 4 – Select available key figures to display on chart

The Next Step Is Just to Refresh the Display Step 6 – Update the Key Figures to add more key figures Step 5 – Select available key figures to display on chart

Adding More Measures to the Display and Rearranging Them Step 8 – Move SNP Forecast (MT) to the top of the list for a higher priority Then click update Step 7 – Add Revenue to selected Key Figures

The Output Step 9 – Notice SNP Forecast (MT) moved to the top and now has numbers on the chart Step 10 – Revenue is now a selectable option

Controlling Characteristics Step 11 – Select Xref, a custom characteristic to describe a material hierarchy Step 12 – Select MESH and click Apply

Key Figures Are Now Filtered Based on the Selection

Saving a Personalized View Step 13 – Save this view as “Mesh and Mas Dashboard” Step 14 – Enter name and save, and this becomes your personal self-service dashboard view!

Overall Result — Dashboard “Self-Service” (An Idea) • This is a template that allows analysts or managers to create their own dashboard in a controlled end user environment • Fast and easy to roll out. For best results, the data set needs to sit in cache, SAP NetWeaver BW Accelerator, or SAP HANA • This template can utilize any BEx query. The limitations are that the charts can only display one characteristic but can be filtered by ANY available characteristic in the query. • Another limitation is that the Save button is currently broken in SP4. It does not remember the filter selections or the chart’s saved state (will be fixed shortly).

The Dashboard Scope Agreement • For the first dashboard go-live, keep the scope as small as possible • For example, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, G/L, or COPA • You have only three dimensions to work with, so if one of these dimensions changes, you have to adjust at least one of the others Scope Resources (people, technology, and money) Time There is a limit to how far you can compress timelines: Brooks law states that “Nine women cannot make a baby in one month”* * Frederick Brooks, The Mythical Man-Month, Addison-Wesley, 1975).

Getting People to Use Your Dashboards • The organizational change process starts with FUD • FEAR – “How will the dashboards impact my job?” • UNCERTAINTY – “Will my job still be needed?” • DOUBT – “This is just temporary, it will never succeed” • Gartner created a “hype cycle” that describes how new technologies are adopted in organizations and society • Something makes the dashboard aneed-to-have tool: The Technology Trigger • Everyone has high expectations • The first go-live was not that great • We now know how to use it properly • We reach the “plateau of productivity” Source: Wikipedia, "hype cycle", 2011 Managing expectations and realizing that you will need more than one “go-live” to get it right is critical to dashboard projects

Do You Have a Plan? The Six Dimensions of BI Management • There are six core dimensions you must consider before embarking on a dashboard project • Project management is important, but it’s only one of these dimensions • Failure to account for the others may result in project failures Source: Peter Grottendieck, Siemens For each dimension, articulate an approach, constraints, limitations, and assumptions before you start your project

The Strategic Dashboard Release Plan The plan should clearly map out the vision for the next 24-36 months Make sure you add the “Phase-2” timeline for all areas, plan for enhancements, and communicate this early to all users

Six Ways to Organize your Dashboard Project Team(s) The more distributed the development effort becomes, the more difficult it is to maintain communication and get cohesive requirements

Coordination of Multiple Business Intelligence Projects Tight Central Control (24%) Loose Cooperation (38%) Independent (38%) 88% Successful 30% Successful 100% Successful How Tightly Should Multiple Dashboard Projects Be Controlled? The relationship between control and success according to a conference Board Survey of 89 BI projects Source: The Conference Board Survey

Dashboard Stakeholder Management — Today’s Situation • In most companies, summarized data that is combined across many organizational units are only available to senior management • The power therefore resides at the CxOand VP levels of the organization • There is little incentive to share this information downwards in the company Traditionally organizations view information as “power” and only grant access on a need-to-know basis

Dashboard Stakeholder Management — Tomorrow’s Situation • When dashboard’s are employed to middle management, they can combine this with operational details and start making sense of “why things are happening,” instead of looking at “what happened” • This shifts power within the organization and often makes the senior management feel that they are not informed, or don’t have the time to look at all operational details Some companies are afraid to share summarized and operational data and are simply employing a too tight “security” model, and therefore, see few dashboard benefits

Dashboard Stakeholder Management — Power Pockets • If dashboard’s are given to only some key individuals withinan organization, you create “power pockets” • In this case, the dashboards can be used to concentrate power regardless of position within the organization Deploying dashboards to select power users in companies can create significant incentives to withhold information and concentrate power

The Dashboard Deployment Layers • The best way to deploy dashboards is to take an open security view • Everyone has access to the data, unless there is a very good reason to restrict it • Operational information is shared with the people who can make the change on the daily operation — middle management • Financial information is shared only with the finance group and senior management (VP and CxO) • Complex dashboards are given to power users that are designated by the management, not the IT department or to all requesting it Create a dashboard deployment diagram and map it to security roles as part of the project planning

The Dashboard Deployment Diagram • The dashboard deployment diagram provides an overview of who has access to each dashboard You should also provide a similar diagram that shows who can grant access to the dashboards. These are called “dashboard owners.”

The SAP BusinessObjects Dashboard Adaptation Curve How will you move people along? Went to a meeting: “My boss is using this, so I better start looking at the same numbers” Went to training: “This way is more effective” Kept in the dark: “I’m not sure what these dashboards may do to me” Talked to a co-worker: “My colleagues are using it, I guess I should too” Saw the PowerPoint: “You said it was easy!” Confidence Saw the demo: “Actually, these dashboards may be better than what I am using” Heard about a dashboard project: “I like the old reports just fine!” Heard a rumour: “You can’t do this. It won’t work. We’re not allowed.” Time

How to Make People Use Your Dashboards You have to engage the users. Not only provide logon passwords! “This is the way we do analysis and reporting around here” Internalization of Dashboard usage “OK, I’m ready to start using these dashboards” Increasing Commitment Commitment to using dashboards “I know how we need to do our jobs differently” Translation to the work setting Significant involvement needed “I understand where we are going with these dashboards” Understanding of change direction “Yeah, I saw the email” Awareness of desired change Information with some involvement is sufficient here Source: Adapted by Dr. Berg from Piers Schreiber's “Change Management,“ 2011

Do You Have Executive Sponsorship? What People Pay Attention To • Leader attention, measurement, rewards and controls • Leader reaction to critical incidents • Leader role modelling, coaching • Criteria for recruitment, promotion, retirement and excommunication • Formal and informal socialisation • Recurring systems and procedures • Organisation design and structure • Design of physical space • Stories and myths about key people and events • Formal statements, charters, creeds, codes of ethics, etc. Between 80-90% of all user behavior is determined by the first three points Source: Piers Schreiber "Change Management,”

Getting the Right Dashboard Change Facilitators • Involve those most impacted by the changes • Develop an objective method for selecting candidates • Select staff of equivalent seniority • Ask them to identify opportunities and have a say in how the project funding is spent (e.g., prioritization) • Select staff who are: • Well regarded by their peers • Credible • Reliable • Eager to learn and be involved • “Opinion leaders” • Have time to spend on active feedback and engagement Do not select staff who are perceived to be management mouthpieces

The Long-Term Use of Dashboards Requires Organizational Acceptance Level of Support Time New technology takes time to be used and accepted. Don’t be surprised when few dashboards are actually used. Source: Piers Schreiber's “Change Management"

The Dashboard Change Management Process IT responsible Change Request form Approved? Integration tested QA environment No Business responsible Sr. mgmt. responsible Yes Yes Approved? Moved to production No Submission No Approved? System tested Dev. Environment Complete? Scheduled No Yes Yes Review Recom-mended? Change Request form Developed Unit Tested Dev. Environment No Yes Approved? No Yes

The Change Management Form — Page 1 • To make this process work, you need a formal instrument • The instrument can be online (e.g., a Web page), electronic (Word document), or a paper-based system • The form should contain at least these fields The front page that the requestor fills out

The Change Management Form — Page 2 • This page is used by the system administrator or the project team • The purpose is to have controlled changes that are scheduled and tested appropriately The back page that the system admin and approver fill out 38

User Training Options • There are four core options for the training strategy • Classroom training • Best when users are similar and centrally located • Online training • Best when users are dispersed, dashboards are simple, or go-live over a long time period • Train the trainer • Best when users reside in many locations, multiple languages are involved, and when there is a very high number of users • One-on-one training • Best for executives and senior management • Should be done at each user’s office Communicate and schedule training early in the project, so that everyone will be available

The BI Self-Service Model and Workspaces This means that they can search content, create their own Web Intelligence reports, organize the layout of their displays, view Crystal Reports and other items at the same time The key concept of the BI self-service model is to let users become self-sufficient and able to create, access, organize, and modify their own content

Self-Service — The BI Launch Pad in SAP BusinessObjects BI 4.x The idea is to have a single launch item for all reports and analysis. Many call this a “report center.” The launchpad is intended to make accessing BI items much easier From here users can: • Use multiple tabs to work on several documents at the same time • Search for what they are looking for and filter results • Schedule and send items to users

The BI Help Desk — Level-1 Support • The first-level support should be done by power users in the organization • You will have to train these resources, empower them to make changes, and leverage them as much as possible, even when it is easy to “jump to solutions” Dashboard-related support tickets from a central location/Web site should be routed to the power users in each department. The power user can escalate the ticket to Level-2 support if he/she is unable to resolve it.

The BI Help Desk — Level-2 Support • The second-level support is used for issues that are not related to dashboards, queries, presentations, reports, and formatting • This includes data loads, performance, security, availability, training schedules, etc. • This is addressed by the central support team • Some support-ticket types are always routed to Level-2 support • It is important to have a generic email address for Level-2 support that is not related to an individual. Emails to this address should not be deleted.

Support Turnover and Team Rotations Source: NobScot,, 2011 SOLUTION: Create a formal plan for rotating each support role every six months Provide a formal mentoring and training program that is communicated in writing to each employee annually The top reason for leaving an IT support job is the lack of personal growth opportunities! 24% of IT application developers leave their jobs every year 4 years, 2 months is the average time spent in an IT job in the US and slightly longer in industrial Asian countries However, the IT support staff lasts only 25 months! * US Dept. of Labor statistics, Sept. 2009.

Computer-Based Online Training (A Real Example) The trick to being successful here is to provide interactivity and common-task scenarios Hint: Use a storyboard to develop your training Online training can be delivered on-demand There are many companies that can develop customized, cost-effective, interactive training for your end users (starting around $8K to about $20K) Over time, this is probably the best way of delivering casual user training

Different Types of Training You may want to use several types of training depending on your budget, audience, and complexity of your dashboards

How to Prepare Your Business Users and IT Organizations for Dashboards