techslog

When Business Intelligence software projects fail, IT is often blamed or sometimes the BI vendor. But the failure can usually be traced back to lack of leadership, not technology.
In fact, a new survey finds that a lack of ownership by the right executive often leads to a disconnect between the vision of senior management and the way a project gets done.
"The core issue with business intelligence [not succeeding] isn't a technical issue," said Betsy Burton, vice president and distinguished analyst at Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc. Rather, she said, it's the failure on the part of business leaders to make sure the organization gets the information it needs and leverages it in a way that makes sense with the business objectives.
"It's interesting," Burton said. "The symptom that people see is a lack of vision, a lack of strategy, a lack of linking supportive business intelligence back to systems. It's very easy for managers to say, 'Hey the data is wrong,' rather than take an introspective look. They should ask 'Have I given the organization a clear sense of what we're trying to get out of business intelligence? Am I really arming my people within my organization with a sense of the importance and the metrics so that they can deliver valuable information?' It's easier to point at the numbers and say, 'The numbers are wrong. Fix them.'"
Burton, who surveyed 350 organizations about their business intelligence projects, found that only 10% reported their projects had a C-level executive sponsor with a direct link to the business. Twenty-five percent said their projects were sponsored by an IT manager, and 25% had no executive sponsor at all.
I know I have found when business managers try to get their BI products in the “back door” without the full support of their executive staff, the sad part that can be sacrificed is the technology; which might really be able to address some of the issues the organization needs addressed, but could be panned due to “difficulties” or excuses that the company pins on the vendor/technology vs their own internal lack of strategy.
Do yourself a favor, and try to address the “ food chain” within the organization, everyone from the CEO down to the end user, to be able to gain their support, or if need be the ability to contact them in the future should any issues emerge due to lack of strategy. I can tell you it is much easier to reach out to a “warm” contact forfhelp after the solution is in place, VS trying to engage a “cold” contact IF there is an issue. Not only that, the value you create will be cascaded through the “Food chain” so similar solutions can be presented to other areas of their business.

Read more about this in the Search CIO article