Smarter Legal Business Management - overview of business intelligence within the legal field. Martyn Wells client of C24 talks about Bi24 - c24 BI solution.
How do large companies focus on innovation, new technologies and ideas, and energize employees? Lessons from our own journey from the leader of our Strategic Innovations Group, EVP Karen Dahut.
Using big data and implementing hadoop is a trend that people jump all to quickly to. Instead understanding the run time complexity of one's algorithms, reducing said complexity and managing the process from start to finish in a lean and agile way can yield massive cost savings - or save your organization.
An enormous amount of valuable data is out there -- waiting to be transformed into mission-driving insights. But to excavate those insights, we must first assemble the right data science team.
Hiring data scientists and deploying Hadoop is not enough. Your company needs a data driven culture, based on values such as honesty, democracy, creativity and strategy. Your company also needs good data engineering and good experimentation practices.
In this white paper, Sodexo shares a case study with many lessons learned in deploying its building information management system in a productive and effective manner. Of particular interest to me was the focus on using social media and sharing data with facility management (FM) clients to facilitate internal campaigns to save water and power.
Booz Allen's experts define the science and art of Data Science in the ground breaking The Field Guide to Data Science. The work unlocks the potential data provides in improving every aspect of our lives by explaining how to ask the right questions from data.
How do large companies focus on innovation, new technologies and ideas, and energize employees? Lessons from our own journey from the leader of our Strategic Innovations Group, EVP Karen Dahut.
Using big data and implementing hadoop is a trend that people jump all to quickly to. Instead understanding the run time complexity of one's algorithms, reducing said complexity and managing the process from start to finish in a lean and agile way can yield massive cost savings - or save your organization.
An enormous amount of valuable data is out there -- waiting to be transformed into mission-driving insights. But to excavate those insights, we must first assemble the right data science team.
Hiring data scientists and deploying Hadoop is not enough. Your company needs a data driven culture, based on values such as honesty, democracy, creativity and strategy. Your company also needs good data engineering and good experimentation practices.
In this white paper, Sodexo shares a case study with many lessons learned in deploying its building information management system in a productive and effective manner. Of particular interest to me was the focus on using social media and sharing data with facility management (FM) clients to facilitate internal campaigns to save water and power.
Booz Allen's experts define the science and art of Data Science in the ground breaking The Field Guide to Data Science. The work unlocks the potential data provides in improving every aspect of our lives by explaining how to ask the right questions from data.
My aim is to give to the readers a better insight of my understanding about Project management matters and highlight the importance of Project Control with a special regard to Project Planning.
You’ve driven to work the same way for years, then one day you offer a lift to a new employee who suggests a different route to take. You save 20 minutes of sitting in traffic, and you even get to use your cruise control. You tell your colleagues about this great new shortcut and soon everyone’s saving time and feeling less stressed.
It’s the same with Excel spreadsheets! Small changes, shortcuts and improvements add up to a BIG improvement in your productivity as
Enhancing Employee Productivity and Qualtiy of Life with Big DataInnovations2Solutions
IFMA and Sodexo collaborated to sponsor and host a Future of Work Roundtable conversation on the challenges and opportunities surrounding these questions at IFMA’s Facility Fusion 2015 conference in Orlando in April 2015. The Roundtable was facilitated by Dr. James Ware, Executive Director of The Future of Work...unlimited, Global Research Director for Occupiers Journal Limited, and immediate past president of IFMA’s Corporate Real Estate Council. Jim also prepared this summary of the roundtable conversation.
Dr Bonnie Cheuk IDC Future of Work Keynote: Workforce Transformation Human Ma...Bonnie Cheuk
Dr Bonnie Cheuk, AstraZeneca Digital Transformation & Global Capability Leader (Learning Culture and Learning Agility), delivered a keynote at IDC Future of Work Conference on 3 Mar 2020. She provoked the audience to go beyond the hype, and think deeper on how human and AI and data-driven Machine collaborate together.
These 3 questions were discussed:
1. How should human and machine collaborate? What skills are required?
2. Will machines replace (most) jobs?
3. Will there be new jobs to enable human-machine collaboration?
Drawing on Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology, Bonnie reminded us that human beings are not robotic machines. Human beings have feelings, experience, we are both scientists and artists, we are analytics and we are emotional.
Bonnie asked the audience how would you like to build a high performance team? Who do you want to put in the team? Do you want everyone to have the same strength, same skills? Or would you pick a team making up of players who can complement one another, and can bring out the best of one another. So in order to propose how human and machine should collaborate in the future of work, it is useful to first ask: what is the strength of human beings? What is the strength of the machine? We need to understanding how AI-driven machines learn vs how human beings learned, and play to one another's strength. And what is the strength of human? It is being human. Let the machine handle the deductive reasoning, the data-driven predictions, repetitive tasks. Let the humans do what we do well, adapting, navigating the unknown, use our human skills, promote collective sense making to make judgement, decisions. And free up the time to allow us to learn, create and innovate.
Bonnie highlighted that there are many unknowns as to how AI will be further developed, and there are ethical issues and risks that have to be addressed, and there are no precedents to follow. Collective human sense making is critical to bring out multiple perspectives from different stakeholders, to co-create AI-driven machines that human beings can trust, and to collectively address tricky ethical issues early on. Dervin’s Sense-Making Metaphor is introduced to facilitate two-way dialogue, to address power issues, and to explore common and divergent views to build common understanding of potential challenges, and co-create solutions to address them.
Haiti 2010 - mission overview presentationlianarute
Our various ministries with Northwest Haiti Christian Mission Sept 17-28, 2010
Orphanage, Miriam Center, Meals on Feet, Gran Moun, Nutrition Program, Tortuga VBS, Anse a Foleur VBS and more.
The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership is a consortium of 7 schools based in the Midlands; comprising of three secondary schools and four primary schools. IT plays a critical role in helping the schools to achieve their objectives for operational excellence and superior learning experiences.
C24 was approached by the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP) to assist with an organisation-wide migration from on-premise email and Microsoft Office applications to a hybrid cloud solution via the Office 365 platform.
My aim is to give to the readers a better insight of my understanding about Project management matters and highlight the importance of Project Control with a special regard to Project Planning.
You’ve driven to work the same way for years, then one day you offer a lift to a new employee who suggests a different route to take. You save 20 minutes of sitting in traffic, and you even get to use your cruise control. You tell your colleagues about this great new shortcut and soon everyone’s saving time and feeling less stressed.
It’s the same with Excel spreadsheets! Small changes, shortcuts and improvements add up to a BIG improvement in your productivity as
Enhancing Employee Productivity and Qualtiy of Life with Big DataInnovations2Solutions
IFMA and Sodexo collaborated to sponsor and host a Future of Work Roundtable conversation on the challenges and opportunities surrounding these questions at IFMA’s Facility Fusion 2015 conference in Orlando in April 2015. The Roundtable was facilitated by Dr. James Ware, Executive Director of The Future of Work...unlimited, Global Research Director for Occupiers Journal Limited, and immediate past president of IFMA’s Corporate Real Estate Council. Jim also prepared this summary of the roundtable conversation.
Dr Bonnie Cheuk IDC Future of Work Keynote: Workforce Transformation Human Ma...Bonnie Cheuk
Dr Bonnie Cheuk, AstraZeneca Digital Transformation & Global Capability Leader (Learning Culture and Learning Agility), delivered a keynote at IDC Future of Work Conference on 3 Mar 2020. She provoked the audience to go beyond the hype, and think deeper on how human and AI and data-driven Machine collaborate together.
These 3 questions were discussed:
1. How should human and machine collaborate? What skills are required?
2. Will machines replace (most) jobs?
3. Will there be new jobs to enable human-machine collaboration?
Drawing on Dervin's Sense-Making Methodology, Bonnie reminded us that human beings are not robotic machines. Human beings have feelings, experience, we are both scientists and artists, we are analytics and we are emotional.
Bonnie asked the audience how would you like to build a high performance team? Who do you want to put in the team? Do you want everyone to have the same strength, same skills? Or would you pick a team making up of players who can complement one another, and can bring out the best of one another. So in order to propose how human and machine should collaborate in the future of work, it is useful to first ask: what is the strength of human beings? What is the strength of the machine? We need to understanding how AI-driven machines learn vs how human beings learned, and play to one another's strength. And what is the strength of human? It is being human. Let the machine handle the deductive reasoning, the data-driven predictions, repetitive tasks. Let the humans do what we do well, adapting, navigating the unknown, use our human skills, promote collective sense making to make judgement, decisions. And free up the time to allow us to learn, create and innovate.
Bonnie highlighted that there are many unknowns as to how AI will be further developed, and there are ethical issues and risks that have to be addressed, and there are no precedents to follow. Collective human sense making is critical to bring out multiple perspectives from different stakeholders, to co-create AI-driven machines that human beings can trust, and to collectively address tricky ethical issues early on. Dervin’s Sense-Making Metaphor is introduced to facilitate two-way dialogue, to address power issues, and to explore common and divergent views to build common understanding of potential challenges, and co-create solutions to address them.
Haiti 2010 - mission overview presentationlianarute
Our various ministries with Northwest Haiti Christian Mission Sept 17-28, 2010
Orphanage, Miriam Center, Meals on Feet, Gran Moun, Nutrition Program, Tortuga VBS, Anse a Foleur VBS and more.
The Arthur Terry Learning Partnership is a consortium of 7 schools based in the Midlands; comprising of three secondary schools and four primary schools. IT plays a critical role in helping the schools to achieve their objectives for operational excellence and superior learning experiences.
C24 was approached by the Arthur Terry Learning Partnership (ATLP) to assist with an organisation-wide migration from on-premise email and Microsoft Office applications to a hybrid cloud solution via the Office 365 platform.
Exercise 1 Risk Analysis Before you begin this assignment, be .docxgitagrimston
Exercise 1: Risk Analysis
Before you begin this assignment, be sure you have read the Case Study and completed the assignment for the Case Study Stage One and Stage Two projects. You should also review the reading “How To Guide to Risk Management.”
Purpose of this Exercise
This activity provides you the opportunity to apply a risk analysis to a specific technology solution. It directly supports the following course outcomes to enable you to:
· evaluate information systems and enterprise solutions to determine the best fit to enable the organization's strategic outcomes
· use information technology tools and techniques to support business intelligence gathering and decision making
· apply information technology best practices and methodologies to create information technology solutions
Assignment
Using the Case Study and the IT solution you proposed for Stage One of the Case Study project, complete the risk analysis matrix provided below.
1. Briefly describe your proposed IT solution.
2. Complete the Risk Matrix below:, describing for each Area of Risk:
a. Explain each are of risk and describe how that area applies to your proposed IT solution for the Case Study,
b. the probability (High/Medium/Low) of its occurrence,
c. impact (High/Medium/Low) on the organization if it does occur and
d. a strategy to mitigate the risk.
3. Explanations of each of the Areas of Risk are available in the document “How to Guide to Risk Management,” pages B3-B7. Definitions for probability of occurrence and impact may be found on page 7 and an example of a mitigation strategy is given on page 9 of the same document.
Your paper should be 2-3 pages in length and provide the brief description in a paragraph followed by the table below, that you may copy, paste into your file and then complete. Do not limit yourself to the space shown in table, but provide complete answers for “Description” and “Strategy for Mitigation.” Submit your paper via your Assignment Folder as a Word document with your last name included in the filename. Use the Grading Rubric below to be sure you have covered all aspects of the assignment.
Risk Analysis
4. Brief Description of Proposed IT
Solution
as it relates to the Case Study:
1. Risk Matrix
Area of Risk
Description
Probability of Occurrence
Impact
of Occurrence
Strategy for Mitigation
1. Strategic
1. Business
1. Feasibility
1. Capability to Manage Investment
1. Organization and Change Management
1. Dependencies and Interoperability
1. Security
1. Privacy
1. Project Resources
1. 0. Schedule
1. 1. Initial Cost
1. 2. Life Cycle Cost
1. 3. Technical Obsolescence
1. 4. Technology Environment
1. 5. Reliability of Systems
1. 6. Data and Information
1. 7. Overall Risk of Investment Failure
SPECIAL PUBLICATION Summer 1998
DATA “SANITY”:
STATISTICAL THINKING
APPLIED TO EVERYDAY DATA
DAVIS BALESTRACCI
HEALTHSYSTEM MINNESOTA
1.0 Introductory ...
Running title TRENDS IN COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS1TRENDS I.docxanhlodge
Running title: TRENDS IN COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS 1
TRENDS IN COMPUTER INFORMATION SYSTEMS 4
Trends in Computer Information Systems, and the Rise to Business Intelligence
Shad Martin
School for Professional Studies
St. Louis University
ENG 2005 Dr. Rebecca Wood
November 23, 2016
Introduction
Our quest to increase our knowledge of Computer Information Systems has produced a number of benefits to humanity. The innovation humans have discovered in Computer Information Systems has led to new sub-areas of study for students and professionals to continue their progression to master all that Computer Information Systems has to offer. Amy Web of the Harvard Business Review reported 8 Tech Trends to Watch in 2016, She noted, “In order to chart the best way forward, you must understand emerging trends: what they are, what they aren’t, and how they operate. Such trends are more than shiny objects; they’re manifestations of sustained changes within an industry sector, society, or human behavior. Trends are a way of seeing and interpreting our current reality, providing a useful framework to organize our thinking, especially when we’re hunting for the unknown. Fads pass. Trends help us forecast the future” (Harvard Business Review, 2015). In short, Amy’s reference to understanding the emerging trends in Computer Information can provide a framework from which, students, professionals, and scientists to conscientiously create a path towards optimizing their efforts. Ensuring we have a fundamental approach to analyze data will enhance our understanding of this subject further.
In this paper I will expound on three of the top trends used to provide insight into the data produced from the advancements in Computer Information Systems. These trends or methods are taking place in my workplace within a financial institution, and in many other industries. It is important to note this paper does not provide an inclusive list of all methodologies that exist. Individuals can now leverage analytics to synthesize insights from data to identify emerging risk, manage operational risks, identify trends, improve compliance, and customer satisfaction. Data in and by itself is not always useful. Regardless of the data source, trained professional must understand the best approach to structure the data to make it more useful. In this paper, I will touch on three popular methodology trends occurring in Computer Information Systems. Students and professionals who work with large data would benefit from having a solid understanding of the fundamental principles of Business Intelligence as data scientific approach and when to use these methodologies.
The rise of Business Intelligence
Computer Information Systems allow many companies to gather and generate large amounts of data on their customers, business activities, potential merger targets, and risks found in their organization. These large sets of data have given rise to vari.
The pioneers in the big data space have battle scars and have learnt many of the lessons in this report the hard way. But if you are a general manger & just embarking on the big data journey, you should now have what they call the 'second mover advantage’. My hope is that this report helps you better leverage your second mover advantage. The goal here is to shed some light on the people & process issues in building a central big data analytics function
Big data is like a two-edged sword: It can bring many new opportunities for business, but it can also harm individuals and businesses in unanticipated ways
my talk to 2/12/09 O'Reilly IgniteBoston, emphasizing that passage of economic stimulus package, combined with current economy, is perfect time to introduce data-centric "democratizing data" approach, giving workers, regulators, public, watchdogs real-time access to critical information! Video version: http://tinyurl.com/c9vkjy
Physical Terrain Modeling in a Digital AgeWatson Mary
The momentum of digital geospatial data collection combined with fast network delivery, cheap computer memory, storage and powerful processors point to a future of virtual landscapes, fly-throughs and synthetic environments. Created by http://www.solidterrainmodeling.com
Data Science and its Relationship to Big Data and Data-Driven Decision MakingDr. Volkan OBAN
Data Science and its Relationship to Big Data and Data-Driven Decision Making
To cite this article:
Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett. Big Data. February 2013, 1(1): 51-59. doi:10.1089/big.2013.1508.
Foster Provost and Tom Fawcett
Published in Volume: 1 Issue 1: February 13, 2013
ref:http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/big.2013.1508
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256439081_Data_Science_and_Its_Relationship_to_Big_Data_and_Data-Driven_Decision_Making
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND A NALYTICS • SUBHASHISH SAMAD.docxdirkrplav
INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND A NALYTICS
• SUBHASHISH SAMADDAR, FEATURE EDITOR, Georgia State University
Coleen Wilder
is an assistant professor of
lIIaliagement ill tlte College of
Bllsiness at Valparnis o Ulli
versity. She ea med a as ill
lIIathematics from Illdialla
Un iver5ity and an MBA fro III
the Ulliver5ity of Chicago .
Sh e aimed Iler PhD ill management science from
IItinois In;;titllte of Teclwology.
co!.! ,, n .wi I d erlYv.l lp o .cdll
Ceyhun Ozgur
is a professor of information
and decision sciences in the
Cvllege vf all sines s at Val
paraiso University. Hceam ed
a PliO iI/ bllsiness (operation
Mal/ugemell t/ Operatiolls
Rese"rch ! fro m Ke llt State
University, UII MS in mal/agel/lent, and a as in
ind llstrial management from th" University vf
Akrllll . He p/lblish ed Introduction to Manage
ment Science with Spreadsheets, 1st edition
(witli Willialll f. St CVCl1 s0n, McGrnw-Hill!. He has
also published articles in Operations Manage
ment Research, Decision Sciences Joumal of
Innovative Education , Interfaces, Quality
M~nagement Journ a I, Production Planning &
Control , and OMEGA .
[email protected]" .lp o. cd L1
Big Data Talent: Data Scientist versus
Business Analyst versus Business User
by Coleen Wilder and Ceyhun Ozgur, Valparaiso University
T
h e first sentence in one of the
books on the top shelf of our
bookcase reads: "We are drowned
in oceans of data; nevertheless, it seems
as if we seldom have sufficient infonna
tion (Goldratt, 1990, p. 3)." Inte resting
that this was written in 1990 in a book
entitled The Haystack Syndrome and
subtitled Sifting Tnformation Ollt of the
Data Ocea n. Clearly the title was meant
to conjure images of sifting through a
haystack to find the proverbial needle.
Move down a few shelves and YOll will
find the third edition of the book, Data
Mining Techniques. Several pages into the
text it reads, "This book is about analyti
cal techniques that can be used to turn
customer data into customer knowledge
(Berry & Linoff, 2011, p. 2) ."1 A solution
to Goldratt's commdrum was underway.
The analogy, however, was changed from
a needle in a ha ystack to that of mining,
which entails sorting through less valu
able rock and sand to find more valuable
nuggets of gold .
The bottom shelf of our bookca se is
where we store our favorite journals. At
the top of this stack is the October 2012
edition of the Harva rd Business Revie·w; the
cover has a caricature of a lio n tamer with
a whip in his hand s attempting to tame
"Big Data." Flip through the pages and
you will see the following passage high
lighted: " Advanced analytics is likely to
become a decisive competitive asset in
many industries ilnd a core element in
companies' efforts to improve perfor
mance" (Barton & Court, 2012, p. 89).
Are we prepared for this challenge? As
college professors, are we equipping our
students with the skills and knowledge
the y will need to sllc.
Unlocking the Value of Big Data (Innovation Summit 2014)Dun & Bradstreet
Big Data is central to the strategic thinking of today’s innovators and business executives as companies are scrambling to figure out the secret to transforming Big Data to Big Insight and that Insight into Action. As many companies struggle with the emerging technologies and nascent capabilities to discover and curate massive quantities of highly dynamic data, new problems are emerging in the form of how to ask meaningful questions that leverage the “V’s” of large amounts of data (e.g. volume, variety, velocity, veracity). In the Business-to-Business space, these challenges are creating both significant opportunity and ominous new types of risk. This presentation discusses how companies are reacting to these changes and provide valuable insight into new ways of thinking in a world with overwhelming quantities of data.
C24 bi datasheet leading in the legal sector with big dataDavid Ricketts
Case study on how a leading law firm is using business intelligence to drive value. The solution is driving real value in terms of marketing, demand generation and business development
Case Study:
Regional legal company case study. The document highlights how a UK legal company examined the hosting marketplace and once a provider was chosen how they embarked on moving to the cloud.
The case study discusses the potential of drone delivery and the challenges that need to be addressed before it becomes widespread.
Key takeaways:
Drone delivery is in its early stages: Amazon's trial in the UK demonstrates the potential for faster deliveries, but it's still limited by regulations and technology.
Regulations are a major hurdle: Safety concerns around drone collisions with airplanes and people have led to restrictions on flight height and location.
Other challenges exist: Who will use drone delivery the most? Is it cost-effective compared to traditional delivery trucks?
Discussion questions:
Managerial challenges: Integrating drones requires planning for new infrastructure, training staff, and navigating regulations. There are also marketing and recruitment considerations specific to this technology.
External forces vary by country: Regulations, consumer acceptance, and infrastructure all differ between countries.
Demographics matter: Younger generations might be more receptive to drone delivery, while older populations might have concerns.
Stakeholders for Amazon: Customers, regulators, aviation authorities, and competitors are all stakeholders. Regulators likely hold the greatest influence as they determine the feasibility of drone delivery.
Senior Project and Engineering Leader Jim Smith.pdfJim Smith
I am a Project and Engineering Leader with extensive experience as a Business Operations Leader, Technical Project Manager, Engineering Manager and Operations Experience for Domestic and International companies such as Electrolux, Carrier, and Deutz. I have developed new products using Stage Gate development/MS Project/JIRA, for the pro-duction of Medical Equipment, Large Commercial Refrigeration Systems, Appliances, HVAC, and Diesel engines.
My experience includes:
Managed customized engineered refrigeration system projects with high voltage power panels from quote to ship, coordinating actions between electrical engineering, mechanical design and application engineering, purchasing, production, test, quality assurance and field installation. Managed projects $25k to $1M per project; 4-8 per month. (Hussmann refrigeration)
Successfully developed the $15-20M yearly corporate capital strategy for manufacturing, with the Executive Team and key stakeholders. Created project scope and specifications, business case, ROI, managed project plans with key personnel for nine consumer product manufacturing and distribution sites; to support the company’s strategic sales plan.
Over 15 years of experience managing and developing cost improvement projects with key Stakeholders, site Manufacturing Engineers, Mechanical Engineers, Maintenance, and facility support personnel to optimize pro-duction operations, safety, EHS, and new product development. (BioLab, Deutz, Caire)
Experience working as a Technical Manager developing new products with chemical engineers and packaging engineers to enhance and reduce the cost of retail products. I have led the activities of multiple engineering groups with diverse backgrounds.
Great experience managing the product development of products which utilize complex electrical controls, high voltage power panels, product testing, and commissioning.
Created project scope, business case, ROI for multiple capital projects to support electrotechnical assembly and CPG goods. Identified project cost, risk, success criteria, and performed equipment qualifications. (Carrier, Electrolux, Biolab, Price, Hussmann)
Created detailed projects plans using MS Project, Gant charts in excel, and updated new product development in Jira for stakeholders and project team members including critical path.
Great knowledge of ISO9001, NFPA, OSHA regulations.
User level knowledge of MRP/SAP, MS Project, Powerpoint, Visio, Mastercontrol, JIRA, Power BI and Tableau.
I appreciate your consideration, and look forward to discussing this role with you, and how I can lead your company’s growth and profitability. I can be contacted via LinkedIn via phone or E Mail.
Jim Smith
678-993-7195
jimsmith30024@gmail.com
The Team Member and Guest Experience - Lead and Take Care of your restaurant team. They are the people closest to and delivering Hospitality to your paying Guests!
Make the call, and we can assist you.
408-784-7371
Foodservice Consulting + Design
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers new opportunities to radically reinvent the way we do business. This study explores how CEOs and top decision makers around the world are responding to the transformative potential of AI.
Oprah Winfrey: A Leader in Media, Philanthropy, and Empowerment | CIO Women M...CIOWomenMagazine
This person is none other than Oprah Winfrey, a highly influential figure whose impact extends beyond television. This article will delve into the remarkable life and lasting legacy of Oprah. Her story serves as a reminder of the importance of perseverance, compassion, and firm determination.
Oprah Winfrey: A Leader in Media, Philanthropy, and Empowerment | CIO Women M...
Briefing - April 2016
1. FEATURES
~
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eeinc is
re ievinc
There are many ways of diving Into data and dishing up charts —but whether you
prefer bar, pie or bubble, experts advise that the best choice usually depends on
who you are and what you want to do with it at the time
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'l FEATURES
t was meRotable that the
unraveling ofthe global
financial system m 2008
would push questions
around data reporting
solidly centre stage among busmess
management challenges Ifsomebody,
somewhere had spotted a trend m slightly
over-leveraged lending shghtly earlier,
could growmg nsk have been contmned
and disaster averted? Ifthat trend was
displayed ever so slightly differentl —a
different colour or diagram style —would
somebody, somewhere, have been shghtly
more likely to see it commg at alff
But there's an even better example of
the difference the nght piece ofdata can
make Alan Keahey is a semor data
vtsuahsatton scientist at IBM, currently
leadmg on visuahsation and repoi nng for
IBM Watson Health's mission to
dramancally improve cancei treatment
'This protect, launched with hospitals in
the US and Canada m May 2015, is usmg
the power ofcogmtive computmg to
calculate when a cancer patient's unique
genetic information might make an
alternative to surgery, chemotherapy or
radiation treatment a preferable course
There's 10000ofdata to analyse m each
case —and that's before all the paperwork
on past experience
"We'e trymg to find matches between
a particular pauent's genetic information
and the information out there in the
hterature for cancer treatment and
evidence from chmcal tnals —thousands
ofiournals and trial reports every month,"
says Keahey
"It's a huge amount ofinformation to
boil down mto lust a few pages that could
be used m a chmcal environment to
decide on the best course. Doctors will
typically form a small committee —a
'tumour panel' and may have 10or 15
mmutes to make their deasion. The data
needs to be reported m a form that
suppoi ts actionable deasions —life or
death decisions —in 10mmutes"
The mformation that makes it through
to the summary stage ofthis process is
clearly cntical "There are standard
algonthms, but incorporatrng the highly
speciahsed medical knowledge is a big
challenge We work with bio-
mathemauaans and physicians to encode
~ ~ ~ ~
12 8 ri EAPRIL2026 S eanEAPRiL2016 OT Sen e 13
2. FEAFUREE
FEATUREE
that," explams Keahey
But it's even more
comphcated than that —because
it's a human, ofcourse, who
makes the ultimate decision, and
m collaboration with others
eyou need to present the
informanon in a mannei that
allows the doctor to answer the
questions most critical to them,"
says Keahey
"In addinon, there are
different roles m play The
oncologist may want a different
sort ofview to the pathologist,
but they also need to
commumcate effecuvely, so
we'e also stuCked the specific
questions and answers and
mteractions that the dilferent
professionals m the process
need"
Operational edge
What seems to make the IBM
Watson Health project umque m
its hosuahsathon demands is the
combmation ofthe presence of
highly complex datasets with a
need for a very rapid decision. If
this were abusiness, on the other
hand, those features would
indicate both a strateyc and an
operanonal decision bemg taken
simultaneously —which might
be a bit ofa problem
Boas Bvelson, business
mtelhgence industry analyst at
Forrester, says eStrateyc
decisions are made infrequently,
usually involve large and
complex datasets, require
collaboration between co-
workers, and have far-reaching
apphcanons
eOperational deasions, often
made many ames per day, often
by a single mdnodual, sometimes
just involve lookmg up a few
simple data pomts, and can be
quickly corrected if a mistake is
made"
Outside the world ofcancer
n eatment, these different
decision styles, and the
informational appetite ofthe
people makmg them, might well
lead to different visual choices A
nsk manager or finanaal analyst,
for example, may look rather
more favourably on multiple
trend lines and the opportumty
to 'play'ith data than the sales
team leader who lust wants to
turn some poor performance
data mto immediately improved
dehvery on daily objectives
I.et's take the boardroom-
where there is certmnly a
parallel with Keahey's notion of
disnlhng complex data mto
(ideally) a two- or three-pager
resembhng a reasonable
summary ofa topic The boiud
may have more arne than the
medics to make their strateyc,
hard-to-reverse deasions, but
they really don't want to spend
too much ofthat time readmg
and mterprenng
"Sophisncated mteracnve
tools are preasely the wi ong
tools to be using at board level,"
ay ees Keahey "Butthem might
be several hierarchy-related
dashboard repoi ts examining
different levels ofthe
organisanon. Many msights
could be reached in each ofthese
Ckfferent parts, so the challenge
for the busmess's team of
analysts is somehow to roll all of
these up mto a single and
actionable view"
He adds. "Today's bow de are
open to some dey ee ofadvanced
sosuahs anon in pui suit oftheir
unde& stand mg, but it's not
always mtuinve, so may require
some additional explananon"
The need for speed, on the
other hand, is well dlustrated by
the world ofsupply chain
management —where a delay in
action based on the very latest
information can lead to much
unnecessary cost
For example, the business
Muddy Boots Software feeds
timely infoananon from
supphers offood through to the
retailers fill mg their shelves with
the goods Technical Ckrector
Jeremy Pde says "A retmler
might need to reject a product
because it doesn't meet a
parncuiah specificanon But
without immediate accurate
data about the problem the
supplier could still be packing
that product to the same
standard m two or three days'ime
There's the cost ofpackage,
shippmg, assessment —and then
it's either thrown away or there'
the cost ofrework"
How that data's presented, or
mdeed relayed, to the decision
makers is as important as its
presence "We help food
businesses to monitor site,
suppherand product
"Ml gives you immediate current
information, but Bl can give you an
indication of things you might want
to do so that you can make the most
intelligent decisions."
Me Iy Wells, IT Crrecror, W ghu Hesseg
comphance but in order to be on
top ofthmgs we need to be
informed when something has
gone wrong, or a new check or
certification a now duey Pile
explams "They need to know
the issues that are most
important to address today to
avoid problems tomorrow"
And an appropaate system of
nonfication is as important as
paontisation, he says "An online
dashboard isn't easily
consumable by everyone If
you'e out on the shop fioor, you
might be much better off with a
simple text message or an email.
"It's also about usmg the aght
tool for the lob Tradinonal bar
charts, pica, bnes doughnuts,
scatter graphs —they all have a
role to play
"Now, we provide our
customers with wo id clouds for
the quickest high-level snapshot
oflatest mfoi manon —the
highest number ofall relections
might be from 'Spam', for
example —but that doesn't tell
them what the issues actually
are Ourtoolsallowthemtod»ll
mto that information A smgle,
static dashboard hnew can'
answer everyone's questions
about the status oftheir supply
chmns, so we allow customers to
get into the finer detail too"
Feeling the heat
But knowing the geographic area
to target as a paonty could be
precisely the most important
thmg to know to change a course
ofacnon -even in legal busmess
Law firm Waght Hassall uses a
geo-demoy aphic heatmap to
idennfy areas ofthe country
where people are most hkely to
pay back their debts Dependmg
on data density, postcodes are
labelled 'hot'r 'cool'he debt
recovery team can be Iesourced
and Ckrected to act accordmgly
—although the data is, ofcourse,
anonymised
"Ifwe know that an area is
hquidatmg faster, it means we
can collect moi e money, but we
have to be careful around
comphance and to treat clients
fau lyr says IT Chrector Martyn
Wells eThis is where busmess
intelligence departs a bit from
management infoi mation MI
yves you immechate current
information, but BI can yve you
an mCkc anon ofthmgs you might
want to do so that you can make
the most mtelhgent decisions
"Processmg a large number of
claims means debt is a
commodity proceas and mary ns
are thm, so visuahsmg this way
provides a level ofreassurance
over success But chents will
have different strateyes around
maximising their returns
Depending on that, we can dial
the mmght up or down."
The tool
lorna
key client
dashboards, displaying metrics
hke work in progress and billmgs
to date, which are also shared
with chents as part ofWnght
Hassall Account Management
(or WHAM, chuckles Wells)
The platform also uses a
natural language-based system
ofsearch —"not the traditional
approach to busmess
mtelligence", he says
"It's very simdar
architecturally to the systems
underpinnmg artifiaal
intelhgence such as IBM
Watson You get natural
14 BR fi gAPRIL2016 B 1 gAPRIL2016 ar Shits I lg
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language clusters, which you can
then report on in any ofdozens
ofchart formats —or
mfographics ifyou wish
"Itwill bring all matter
information to the fore —very
powerful ifyou'e lost
something —and it can expose a
document's metadata, and you
can give it back to fee earners
and team leaders to manage
thmgs for themselves self-
servhce"
Somethmg for everyone?
Such democrausation ofreport-
mg Is an emerging trend —and
really quite appropriate for a
time when the subjects being
reported may mclude, for
example, the hurly burly ran-
domness offresh social media
posts to mull over every second
Gartner analyst Joao
Tapadinhas says "Many BI
slf different datasets
haven't been marshalled
together into something
verifiable that can be
applied companywide,
there may be issues with
reproducibility.r
Alan Keahey se o data snahsetton sue tst, IBM
leaders thmk that they need to
curate informanon unnl it has
prtstme quality. Otherwise, they
consider It to be virtually useless
However, m the case oftrend
analysis or pattern detection,
noise or maccuracles are often
tolerable.
He adds: "Don't assume that
users can't produce their own
mslghts because the orgamsanon
needs to estabhsh and nurture a
'smgle version oftruth'.
Although a smgle version of
truth is required m certain areas,
such as finanaal reporting, it
doesn't necessanly help m every
stuanon"
Rob Radburn, team leader of
research and mslght at
Leicestershire County Counal,
says one ofthe advantages of
opening up reportmg
opportunities to more people is,
m fact, an ability to drive up
data's overall quahty
"We have I55 wards across
seven distrtcts and thousands of
people using our services. That'
a lot ofstones and potential
questions already But ifpeople
can ask more questions ofour
data, they also start dkscovenng
where there are errors. And they
can directly see the benefit of
fix
mgthmg
ifuseful data Is
missmgy Although hhs speaahst
team anil builds most ofthe
visuahsanons for others to
utilise, he can manage that based
on requests much faster —and
even has 'super users'ho are a
bit more proactive
Radburn's team uses Tableau
Software (he is, m fact, a so-
called 'zen master' the craft)
to boost data inquisltiveness-
and responsiveness —across the
council's wide range ofacnvithes
eI can budd dashboards that
are really interacnve Ifwe have
a map ofLeicestershire, you can
filter and immediately update a
bar chart, for example, based on
each map point Ifyou reported
that more traditionally, you'
need a report for every location
—maybe 500,000 pages
"When the census data, or an
unemployment bulletm, come
out we can dice the relevant
data, and have something up on
our website much quicker for
people to seey
It can also make the work of
those on the road more effiaent
"Take GPS data when we'e
cleaning the gulhesy says
Radburn. "We can plan the
routes ofthe operanves more
effectively based on where the
water goes" Back In the office,
meanwhde, It yves people a
much faster picture ofwhen an
action was last taken ifa member
ofthe public phones up.
He adds, however, that the
councd Is a "people business", so
the ideal repornng is always a
balance between quantitative
and quahtative mformation.
"Numbers alone won't help us
We still have to talk to people-
to measure what we call 'social
return on investment'ome
thmgs are affected by pubic
services uh ways you might not
tiunk, and you need a picture of
those connections too"
Radburn's team will then try
to put the qualitative (such as
hterature reviews, as well as
surveys) and quantitative
mformation together
eIfa survey has an open text
box for people to comment
freely, instead of dust turmng that
mto a word cloud, we could
attempt to categorise the data
into subsets Is a comment
positive or neganvei Where do
people thmk we should be
spendmg more or less moneyP
You can put a quantitative
framework around text without
sacrificingthe real nchness"
IBM's Reahey says self-
service reporting is certamly a
trend to watch —but also sounds
a note ofcaution over how much
freedom is granted
"It's a bit ofa double-edged
sword, because there's an
educational component You
need to famlhanse bne of
business users with good
visuahsation practices so they
can use these tools effectively
"And if different datasets
haven't been marshalled
together mto something
venfiable that can be applied
company-wide, there may be
issues with reproducibllity, or
perhaps accuracy" Some
companies will feel they still
need secure access mechamsms
and versionmg to make the
investment a fully company-
wide benefit, he says
Similarly, huge amounts of
mteractlon might not always be
appropnate "Exploratory
visualsation Is for situations
where you don't know exactly
what you want to show or find
However, for the most Important
decision-makmg, some
vhsuahsations really shouldn't be
interacnve
n
You need them to be
explanatory rather than
exploratory —where everyone is
certam ofseeing the same
picture all the time" One trend
emerging Is a style ofseml-
guided interactnnty to find a
middle ground, he says-
Idennfymg patterns or outhers
and suggesung them to the user
Rs a staltlng pol lit
Like the mcreasmg
apphcations for artifiaal
mtelligence, it's a hopefully
happy partnership between
data's incleasinglypmpoint
accuracy and the human's
natural need to have a greater
level ofcontrol ovel whatever It
manages to see R
r ~
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