Business Intelligence and Business Analytics
The Planning & Business Modelling Phase

The Planning & Business Modelling Phase of Business Analytics  provides your organisation with new levels of sensitivity to its operations and environment.

Being able to identify new information and trends early, model a variety of different scenarios and select the best choice for your organisation vs. a given set of criteria is a strategic advantage in fast changing and/or unpredictable operating conditions.

The more uncertain the conditions within which your organisation is operating (financial economic, legislative), the more significant the role of the Planning & Business Modelling Phase in your organisation’s success.  In fact, it could even take on the status of a critical success factor.

The Planning & Business Modelling Phase in a Business Analytics implementation has a number of additional key benefits:

• It is both reactive and proactive, ie – it can be used in response to and in anticipation of changing conditions.
• It is equally applicable to internal and external situations.  For example, KPIs can be applied to your organisation’s internal performance for continuous improvement.  Your organisation’s performance can also be benchmarked vs. industry standards and competitors to gain operational advantages and market share.
• Planning & Business Modelling can also be used at any and every level in your organisation.  For example, modelling reduced production costs through additional automation (tactical) vs. modelling reduced production costs through relocating the production facility close to the raw materials it needs (strategic).

Business Analytics is a strategic management technique and a closed loop feedback mechanism which enables your organisation to achieve its medium and long-term goals.  Planning & Business Modelling applies in both areas.

Planning & Business Modelling for continuous performance improvement

Within the closed loop feedback mechanism of Business Analytics, Planning & Modelling activities focus more on the internal operations to constantly improve performance.  They typically form natural cascades of performance improvement stretching from tactical to strategic levels.

In addition, best practise identified in one area of your organisation may be transferable to others.  Modelling can identify best practice techniques and demonstrate how they can be extended into other areas of your organisation.

Planning & Business Modelling for strategic advantage

The strategic capabilities of Planning & Business Modelling are a critical success factor.  They focus more on the relationships between your organisation and its environment, for example - legislation, market trends, social pressures, the availability of skills and resources, shareholder expectations, etc.  ‘What if?’ modelling can help to identify the best approach in different circumstances using different sets of criteria.  For example:

“What if we opened 10 local distribution centres to replace the central warehouse and charged customers a premium for next day delivery?”

As external factors impact your organisation, processes, policies and targets may need to change in response – requiring different approaches and measures.  ‘What if?’ modelling is an invaluable tool here too, relating external factors to their points of impact in your organisation and vice versa.  For example:

“In a market growing at 5% per annum, what is the impact on our HR needs in the next 12 months?  What skills and training do we need?  What can we resource internally?  What external recruitment is required, if any, and what is the total expected cost in the same timeframe?”

Getting started

Advanced Business Solutions’ portfolio of solutions includes planning & modelling software from our own application suites and from IBM Cognos & IBM Cognos Express and SAP.  Using our 10 step implementation methodology, our skilled consultants adapt the recommended software to match the information and decision support needs that your organisation needs to achieve its medium and long-term goals.

Our Strategic BI Consulting services also include training for end-user and IT personnel, on-going maintenance and support across all offerings in our portfolio.

Read more about the Reporting and Business Intelligence Phases of Business Analytics