• Understand the current state and pick a starting point for implementation. An honest self-assessment is the first step in understanding current capabilities – and the gaps that need to be closed.
• The key is to assess where an organization is in the analytics journey and develop the areas that are most ready.

• Knowing which questions to ask – where the most relevant and valuable insights are likely to be found – is the foundation of any analytics initiative.
• Using overall corporate strategy and business processes as a guide, organizations must ask the following:
  • What drives value?
  • What questions need to be asked?
  • How do we measure up – against our goals and against the competition?
  • What investments will drive the required return?
• What information do we need to answer these important questions?

• Understanding what signals matter most is the next fundamental principle of sustaining analytics excellence.
• Signals are everywhere and the ability to decipher and integrate these signals into a coherent reflection of performance is vital.

• It is essential to automate information delivery to processes and people, and automate responses as much as possible so that decision making is sped up and action can be taken with certainty, at a lower cost.

• The method of presenting information is just as important as the information itself. It must be in a format that engages the user and promotes digging deeper to find answers that may otherwise be overlooked.

• To operate in today’s complex, highly regulated business environment, leaders can no longer just “trust their gut.” Leading organizations are building a fact-driven analytics culture to drive streamlined execution of business processes.

• Selecting the right analytics tools and technologies is critical. Invest in tools that fit now and that will be flexible and powerful enough to grow with the organization.

Today’s great competitors are increasingly those that are able to seize the advantage of insight. They recognize the potential value of the tremendous amount of data they are collecting, creating, and curating. And they’re using deep analytics capabilities to translate that potential into real business results. The seven principles highlighted above will get you started and help your organisation recognize, confront, and manage the challenges that inhibit growth and performance.