| | JUNE 20208CIOReviewIN MY OPINIONAlisha Thompson is the Chief Data Architect and a Senior Director of Domtar Personal Care (Division of Domtar Inc.), the largest integrated producer of uncoated free-sheet paper in North America and the second largest in the world based on production capacity. She is a skilledtechnology leader with over 20 years of experience and expertise across healthcare, retail, manufacturing, and aerospace. Many organizations are plagued with a data deluge, silo-ed BI tools, and a single version of the truth confusion. Our business leaders are faced with the challenge of achieving increased aggressive results using assigned tools without disruption or slowing down their day to day business activities. Elements of a best-in-class business intelligence program provide a common operating picture creating business advantages. Let us consider five points in your journey to create a BI program best in class. One. Vision and strategy of where your business is evolving. A strategic plan is also known as a company's competitive advantage and where they play within the market. A BI program is a journey, not a destination. Some companies consider a BI program to be a destination and not a journey. This view is short-sighted for an organization looking to leverage information for competitive advantages. Variety and volume of data within diverse subject areas leverage the value chains of the firm. A real competitive advantage exists for institutions with vision, strategy, and patience seeing through the problematic points throughout the journey. Developing a common operating picture involves each function across the organization, being able to quickly and succinctly explain the company vision and strategy within a few sentences.Two. Executive sponsorship is foundational. Sponsoring places priority and focuses on data-driven results. BI is utilized as a strategic tool by business teams to reach their goals. For business teams to benefit from BI, the decisions made must be impactful to the top and bottom lines. The executive team should be bullish for the BI program mission and purpose. BI program mission and purpose should inherently align with company goals and objectives. Championing the goals of the program increases the likelihood of business team goals and company success. What brings company success and business value? Not a report. Not a The Elements of a Best-in-Class BI Program for Business Advantage By Alisha Thompson, Senior Director, Global Digital Center of Excellence and Business Intelligence, Domtar
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