Last updated on Sep 7, 2024

How do you measure BI project success?

Business intelligence (BI) projects can deliver valuable insights and solutions for organizations, but how do you know if they are successful? Measuring BI project success is not a simple task, as it involves multiple factors, stakeholders, and criteria. In this article, we will explore some of the key aspects and methods of evaluating BI project success, and how to align them with your business goals and needs.

1 Define success criteria

Measuring BI project success starts with defining what success means for the specific project. Depending on the scope, objectives, and expectations of the project, as well as the needs and preferences of the end users and sponsors, success criteria may vary. Common criteria for BI projects include business value, user satisfaction, data quality, and project management. Business value looks at how the project contributes to the strategic goals, performance, and profitability of the organization. User satisfaction evaluates the functionality, usability, and reliability of the BI solution. Data quality assesses how accurate, complete, and consistent the data is that the BI solution uses and produces. Lastly, project management checks if the project follows the budget, timeline, and quality standards.

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Arman Azhkhanov

Business science and IT
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In my experience, a BI project is considered successful when the client actively utilizes its deliverables. Therefore, the frequency of dashboard usage serves as a strong high-level indicator of success. Leading BI tools come equipped with capabilities to track and measure usage

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Raj Kumar Ganesa Moorthy

MES Consultant - SAP ME/MII - Siemens Opcenter - BI Reporting - Power BI - SAP BO - SSRS - MS SQL developer - BI Analyst at Infosys
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I would say a BI project is successful when the ETL is efficient and ease of accessing the dashboard. The issue every client facing is on the data load to BI tools and the flexibility of data model.

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Hardik Chheda

Founder | Chief Product Officer | Generative AI | Analytics
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The north star of measuring success for any BI project is going to be the ROI derived. Now, ROI can be measured in a few different ways: 1. ROI based on the top-line impact/bottom-line affected by the BI Project 2. ROI based on the actions taken due to the BI project 3. ROI based on the decisions made due to the BI project 4. ROI based on the insights found due to the BI Project 5. Or maybe the ROI is simply # of people actively using the BI dashboard (and how frequently). However, this is the least impactful way to measure the success of the BI project.

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Merijn Campsteyn

Chief Technology Officer @ Deloitte BE A&A | Data and AI enthousiast
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It's not always easy to measure success in a quantitative way. Technology doesn't stand on it's own. To be successful you need to create a synergy between people, tools and processes. People: When designing the business case you already need to think how you will roll out business intelligence within the organization. Create a change management plan and think about educating the teams. Processes: Consider if there are any changes needed in they way people operate and transition into data-driven decision making. Tools: involve stakeholders early in the process. Gather their feedback and iterate. They ultimately determine overall project success. Only if all three components work in tandem you can reach any targets you defined upfront.

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Shashank Bhushan

Associate Systems Analyst | Open to Collaborations on Ideas and Tech | Systems Data Engineering & Business Intelligence | CenterPoint Energy
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Success in a BI Project often arrives when delivered outcomes align with key indicators of business that widely impacts multiple dimensions of the project which certainly leads to business growth. Its the business which plays pivotal role to set goals of the BI analysis and the focus of analysis around business helps in value addition to decision making.

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2 Choose success metrics

Once you have defined your success criteria, you need to choose the appropriate metrics to measure them. Metrics are quantifiable indicators that can help you track and evaluate the progress and outcomes of your BI project. Depending on the type and level of your success criteria, you may use different metrics, such as business value metrics which measure the impact of the BI solution on the key performance indicators (KPIs) of the organization, user satisfaction metrics that measure the perception and feedback of the end users on the BI solution, data quality metrics that measure the validity, completeness, and consistency of the data that the BI solution uses and produces, and project management metrics that measure the efficiency and effectiveness of the project management processes. For instance, you may use ROI (return on investment), TCO (total cost of ownership), NPS (net promoter score), surveys, interviews, ratings, error rates, data audits, data governance processes, Gantt charts, earned value analysis or defect tracking to measure these metrics.

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Paulo AndrÃ© Jesus

I help individuals and companies master data analysis with Power BI and AI for strategic decisions without complications | Specialist in Power BI, DAX, M, SQL, and Figma | Microsoft Certified Trainer | Author, Educator
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ðŸ“Š Escolha as mÃ©tricas certas: ApÃ³s definir os critÃ©rios de sucesso, selecione indicadores quantificÃ¡veis para acompanhÃ¡-los. ðŸ’¼ MÃ©tricas de valor de negÃ³cios: MeÃ§a o impacto nos KPIs da organizaÃ§Ã£o, como ROI e TCO. ðŸ˜Š MÃ©tricas de satisfaÃ§Ã£o do usuÃ¡rio: Avalie o feedback dos usuÃ¡rios com NPS, pesquisas e entrevistas. ðŸ“‹ MÃ©tricas de qualidade de dados: Verifique a validade, integridade e consistÃªncia dos dados com auditorias e governanÃ§a de dados. ðŸ“… MÃ©tricas de gerenciamento de projetos: Use grÃ¡ficos de Gantt, anÃ¡lise de valor agregado e rastreamento de defeitos para medir a eficiÃªncia e eficÃ¡cia do projeto.

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3 Collect and analyze data

Measuring BI project success requires collecting and analyzing data that corresponds to your success metrics. This could involve various sources, methods, and tools, depending on the nature and complexity of the project. For example, business value data can be collected from financial, operational, and customer systems, such as accounting, CRM, or ERP. Additionally, BI tools like dashboards, reports, or analytics can be used to analyze this data and compare it with predefined targets. User satisfaction data can be collected from end users through surveys, interviews, focus groups, or observation. Furthermore, BI tools such as feedback forms, ratings, or usage statistics can be used to analyze this data and identify the strengths and weaknesses of the BI solution. Data quality data can be collected from data sources such as databases, files, or APIs. Additionally, BI tools like data profiling, data cleansing or data validation can be used to analyze this data and detect and resolve any issues. Lastly, project management data can be collected from the project team, sponsors and stakeholders through regular meetings or communication. Moreover, BI tools like project management software, risk management software or quality management software can be used to analyze this data and monitor and control the project performance.

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Paulo AndrÃ© Jesus

I help individuals and companies master data analysis with Power BI and AI for strategic decisions without complications | Specialist in Power BI, DAX, M, SQL, and Figma | Microsoft Certified Trainer | Author, Educator
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ðŸ“Š Coleta de dados: ReÃºna informaÃ§Ãµes de vÃ¡rias fontes, como sistemas financeiros, CRM, ERP e usuÃ¡rios finais. ðŸ” AnÃ¡lise com BI: Use painÃ©is, relatÃ³rios e anÃ¡lises para comparar os dados com metas estabelecidas. ðŸ˜Š SatisfaÃ§Ã£o do usuÃ¡rio: Colete feedback por meio de pesquisas, entrevistas e ferramentas de BI para identificar pontos fortes e fracos. ðŸ“‹ Qualidade dos dados: Utilize ferramentas de BI para fazer perfilagem, limpeza e validaÃ§Ã£o de dados, garantindo a integridade. ðŸ“… Gerenciamento de projetos: Monitore o progresso com software de gestÃ£o de projetos e reuniÃµes com as partes interessadas.

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4 Communicate and improve results

The final step to measure BI project success is to communicate and improve the results of your data collection and analysis. This involves sharing and discussing the findings and recommendations with your project team, sponsors, and stakeholders, as well as taking action to enhance the BI solution and the project management processes. To communicate results, you can use different formats and channels such as presentations, reports, dashboards, or newsletters. Additionally, you should employ feedback loops, lessons learned, best practices, or continuous improvement to improve results. Moreover, you should tailor your communication to your audience, highlighting key insights, achievements, and challenges of the project. Finally, it is important to implement the recommendations from communication and evaluate the impact of changes on success criteria and metrics.

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Paulo AndrÃ© Jesus

I help individuals and companies master data analysis with Power BI and AI for strategic decisions without complications | Specialist in Power BI, DAX, M, SQL, and Figma | Microsoft Certified Trainer | Author, Educator
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ðŸ“¢ Comunique os resultados: Compartilhe os achados e recomendaÃ§Ãµes com a equipe, patrocinadores e stakeholders. ðŸ“Š Use formatos adequados: Apresente as descobertas por meio de relatÃ³rios, painÃ©is ou apresentaÃ§Ãµes, ajustando ao pÃºblico. ðŸ”„ Aprimore continuamente: Utilize feedback, liÃ§Ãµes aprendidas e prÃ¡ticas recomendadas para melhorar a soluÃ§Ã£o de BI. ðŸš€ Implemente melhorias: Aplique as recomendaÃ§Ãµes e avalie o impacto das mudanÃ§as nas mÃ©tricas de sucesso.

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5 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that donâ€™t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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How do you measure BI project success?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Define success criteria

2 Choose success metrics

3 Collect and analyze data

4 Communicate and improve results

5 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

Business Intelligence

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Directory

How do you measure BI project success?

1

2

3

4

5

1 Define success criteria

2 Choose success metrics

3 Collect and analyze data

4 Communicate and improve results

5 Hereâ€™s what else to consider

Business Intelligence

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