Remember This Is Business Software
Developers like to be on the cutting edge of coding for the applications they are creating. It is very important to keep in mind that BI should be focused on the business. All the coolest techniques won’t help if the application does not focus on the client’s business. Make sure that your software has all of the processes in place, and the relationships it needs to be useful for the business executives that are going to be using it. Deliver the metrics they need and in a manner they can understand – with appropriate reports, visualizations and dashboards.
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Clean Up That Data
“Garbage In, Garbage Out” is a mantra that developers have been saying since the invention of code. Your BI is only as good as the data that you have. If your data is not in a format that can be used, then it is of no good use to you. Make sure that the data you have is in a format that you can extract what you need from it. Otherwise, the application is of no use to your customers.
Is it Accessible?
Your application is no good to your users if they have to take a four-day course to learn how to use it. Users expect interfaces to be intuitive. They also expect access to what they need in real time. Design the UI to ensure that your data is both accessible and easy to display. The BI solution needs to be a seamless part of the application, with appreciably the same interface or it won’t be adopted by users.
Make Sure You Meet Specific Business Needs
What is the best way to make sure that you are meeting the needs of your customer? Answer: By sitting down with them and hammering out a set of metrics for you to meet. Ask what questions the customers need to answer. They may assume your application’s BI has the same limitations as their old tool did, so be persistent. You should be meeting with your customers and their business users on a regular basis. During those meetings, discuss the metrics that you set up during your initial meetings. If you are meeting the metrics, you are meeting the needs, and your customers will be happy. If you are not tracking metrics, or you are not meeting them, you may find yourself looking for a new customer.
Keep It Agile
Why is agile a great way to develop software? Because it allows you to change with your client’s demands. As you get closer and closer to a finished product, you will be honing in on exactly what your client wants. At the outset, you will have given them exactly what they want and minimized the amount of rework that you need to provide them with that solution.
Izenda Can Meet Your Customers’ BI Needs
There is no need to re-invent the wheel. Izenda has done all of the hard work for you. Check out our self-service embedded BI solutions to integrate with your software.
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