Narratus/Data In Action

What is Performance Management?

In the early 90's, commercial businesses realized a need to shift from error-prone, time-consuming, manual processes for operational data collection and reporting to automated systems that provided more accurate and uniform data. During that transition many for-profit companies spent millions of dollars not only to purchase but to implement and maintain such systems. The first major data warehouse built for Coca-Cola (by team members who eventually became Narratus) came with a hardware, software and services price tag of more than five million dollars. The work done for Wal Mart cost substantially more (although our part of the gig was "only" a few million).

Now, with the commoditization of hardware and some software as well as the significant growth and maturity of on-line technologies, the corporate sector has learned to collect and share data more efficiently without going broke trying to do it. The accuracy of reporting now results in increased productivity and increased profitability. Today, Enterprise Performance Manaement/Business Performance Management (EPM/BPM) solutions include applications and tools that build dashboards, scorecards, and alerts. They leverage existing information technology investments, are often user friendly, enhance communication, and enable better informed decision making.

A Closer Look

Have you ever reviewed a report, put it down, and realized that as a result of your inspection you had more questions? How tough was it to get answers to the follow up questions? If you're like most folks in business today the answer to the first question was an emphatic YES. To the second question, your answer might depend on whether or not you have an effective business performance management solution in place.

For many, the answers to questions generated by the review of a production or ad-hoc report are not available for days or even weeks. Sometimes, we forget the question by the time we get the answer. A decision-maker must be able to ask questions, at the speed of thought, of their data until they have enough information to take action. A Data Warehouse, properly designed and implemented, provides the ability to transform data into action.

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		What is Performance Management? In the early 90's, commercial businesses realized a need to shift from error-prone, time-consuming, manual processes for operational data collection and reporting to automated systems that provided more accurate and uniform data. During that transition many for-profit companies spent millions of dollars not only to purchase but to implement and maintain such systems. The first major data warehouse built for Coca-Cola (by team members who eventually became Narratus) came with a hardware, software and services price tag of more than five million dollars. The work done for Wal Mart cost substantially more (although our part of the gig was "only" a few million). Now, with the commoditization of hardware and some software as well as the significant growth and maturity of on-line technologies, the corporate sector has learned to collect and share data more efficiently without going broke trying to do it. The accuracy of reporting now results in increased productivity and increased profitability. Today, Enterprise Performance Manaement/Business Performance Management (EPM/BPM) solutions include applications and tools that build dashboards, scorecards, and alerts. They leverage existing information technology investments, are often user friendly, enhance communication, and enable better informed decision making. A Closer Look Have you ever reviewed a report, put it down, and realized that as a result of your inspection you had more questions? How tough was it to get answers to the follow up questions? If you're like most folks in business today the answer to the first question was an emphatic YES. To the second question, your answer might depend on whether or not you have an effective business performance management solution in place. For many, the answers to questions generated by the review of a production or ad-hoc report are not available for days or even weeks. Sometimes, we forget the question by the time we get the answer. A decision-maker must be able to ask questions, at the speed of thought, of their data until they have enough information to take action. A Data Warehouse, properly designed and implemented, provides the ability to transform data into action. Who We Are \| What We Do \| Our Clients \| the Narratus Difference \| Contact Us copyright � 2005 Narratus. All rights reserved.