Actionable Intelligence: A Guide to Delivering Business Results with Big Data Fast!

<Description>

Building an analysis ecosystem for a smarter approach to intelligence
Keith Carter's Actionable Intelligence: A Guide to Delivering Business Results with Big Data Fast! is the comprehensive guide to achieving the dream that business intelligence practitioners have been chasing since the concept itself came into being. Written by an IT visionary with extensive global supply chain experience and insight, this book describes what happens when team members have accurate, reliable, usable, and timely information at their fingertips. With a focus on leveraging big data, the book provides expert guidance on developing an analytical ecosystem to effectively manage, use the internal and external information to deliver business results.

This book is written by an author who's been in the trenches for people who are in the trenches. It's for practitioners in the real world, who know delivering results is easier said than done – fraught with failure, and difficult politics. A landscape where reason and passion are needed to make a real difference.

This book lays out the appropriate way to establish a culture of fact-based decision making, innovation, forward looking measurements, and appropriate high-speed governance. Readers will enable their organization to:

Answer strategic questions faster
Reduce data acquisition time and increase analysis time to improve outcomes
Shift the focus to positive results rather than past failures
Expand opportunities by more effectively and thoughtfully leveraging information
Big data makes big promises, but it cannot deliver without the right recipe of people, processes and technology in place. It's about choosing the right people, giving them the right tools, and taking a thoughtful—rather than formulaic--approach. Actionable Intelligence provides expert guidance toward envisioning, budgeting, implementing, and delivering real benefits.

<Table of Contents>

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xvii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: Vision of Actionable Intelligence 5

The Challenge at Hand 7

The Big Data Lie 13

Actionable Intelligence: The Road and the Destination 14

Stages of Actionable Intelligence: Getting Ready for the Journey by Knowing Where You Are and Where to Go 22

Are You Ready to Take the First Step? 26

Summary and Considerations 29

Notes 29

Chapter 2: Discovery of the Business Situation (Business Discovery) 31

Government Intelligence 34

Ask the Questions 37

Answer the Questions: Business Discovery 38

Visual Consistency and the First Tool 42

Off to the Races 45

Summary and Considerations 45

Notes 45

Chapter 3: Creating a Foundation of Data 47

Building the Foundation 48

Benefi ts of Having the Right Data 49

The Data Challenge 50

Acquire Data in Four Consistent Steps 51

The Byproduct: Master Data Management 61

Data Management Issues in the Spotlight 63

The Data Supply Chain 65

Build the House 65

Summary and Considerations 67

Notes 68

Chapter 4: Visualization 69

Complete Circle 70

So Now, How Can You Do It? 74

The Way Ahead 77

Example of Iterative Visualization to Solve the Question "How Do I Get There Quickly, Safely, Effi ciently:" Leveraging Global Positioning System Data 77

Effective Visualizations: Tell a Story to Your Mind 80

Noticing Visualization Pitfalls 80

Summary and Considerations 83

Notes 83

Chapter 5: The Initial Answers 85

Attempting to Regularly Capture Benefits, False Starts, and a Rhythm 87

The Results of Actionable Intelligence Delivered 87

The Power of Quotes 89

Possibilities with Actionable Intelligence 89

Almost Done? 98

Summary and Considerations 99

Note 99

Chapter 6: Time for Change 101

Collaborative Business Planning 103

Linking Collaboration to Actionable Intelligence 106

Summary and Considerations 110

Chapter 7: Governance: Funding Intelligence, Protecting the Results 111

An Actionable Intelligence Governance Methodology 112

Intelligence Budgeting 121

Remember the Key Points of the UPS Story 122

Governing the Use of Actionable Intelligence and Establishing Data Security 125

Summary and Considerations 133

Notes 133

Chapter 8: Sustaining Delivery of Actionable Intelligence 135

Leading Intelligence 136

Quick Wins to Build Trust 140

Hiring Done Right for Big Data with Big Data 145

Training 148

Business Cultural Change 149

Communication 155

Knowledge Lock?]In 157

What's Next? 159

Summary and Considerations 161

Notes 161

Chapter 9: Tying It All Together 163

Clifford Siegel’s Journey at Lifetime Brands 163

Starting the Right Way 165

Finding the Right Pitch 166

Developing a Mission and Strategy for Intelligence Capabilities 167

TIE: The Intelligent Enterprise at STATS ChipPAC with Elizabeth Lim 170

The Recipe to Greatness 174

Summary and Considerations 179

Notes 180

Chapter 10: Next Frontiers 181

A Healthier Lifestyle with Actionable Intelligence 183

The Street?]Smart Cabbies 184

The Amplifi ed Customer Experience 186

Selling Better 187

Serve Me Better . . . But Don’t Intrude on My Private Life 188

Getting Started 189

The Starbucks Experience 190

Summary and Considerations 191

Notes 191

Chapter 11: Epilogue 193

Four Steps of Actionable Intelligence 195

About the Author 197

About the Contributors 199

Index 201

<Author Information>

KEITH B. CARTER enjoys making the lives of others easier with technology and is an avid sportsman, private pilot, fencer, and family man. Born in Long Island, he spent most of his life in New York until moving to Singapore in 2012, where he currently resides. Always interested in both corporate and academic roles, Keith is working as Visiting Senior Fellow of Decision Sciences at the prestigious National University of Singapore Business School as well as principal advisor to KPMG, board member of Mentorica Technology Pte. Ltd. (a retail sales, mobile, big data solution provider), and board member of 1st Call Consulting, a competitive intelligence firm specializing in finance and supply chain. He previously worked at Estée Lauder in supply chain and Accenture in financial services and government. As an inventor, he recently received a patent on a financial intelligence tool design. Keith has a Master’s in Business Administration from Cornell University and a Bachelor’s in Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.