Such case studies are available from TDWI (www.tdwi.org) and other sources.

Developing a BI COE is a good way to set in motion a BI program aimed at maturing an organization’s current BI capabilities. It signals an organizational commitment to developing world-class BI capabilities.

stage 3, using the manufacturing example, the company has advanced again, this time to the point at which its manufacturing or service-delivery capabilities actually enhance the performance of key business processes or functions, as opposed to not holding them back. Similarly, a stage 3 BI capability provides information that enhances performance

cannot easily be matched by its competitors, delivering a competitive advantage. Dell and Cisco are excellent examples of stage 4 companies. Both aligned people, processes, and technology so that they could outperform their competitors on cost, quality, and service.

readiness assessment framework (available at www.decisionpath.com/readiness.htm), which can be used to gauge a company’s prerequisites

Work with these change agents to develop a compelling business case for change. Use the BI opportunity analysis to discuss the “to be” organization and how using BI within changed business processes will support bottom-line performance improvement.

The IT products required for BI, if installed and configured properly, are mature, low-risk products, and there are proven technical methods for building BI assets such as data warehouses and data marts.

In other words, process engineering and change analysis lay the foundation for managing for business value delivery.

Although the starting point for the BI Pathway data architecture is a two-tier hub-and-spoke data architecture, other configurations may be optimal depending on their specific organizational factors.