Better understanding of Business Intelligence required

Access Group surveys show that there is still considerable misunderstanding among business managers about what Business Intelligence (BI) is. Only 16% of financial professionals say they are using BI today while 35% either don’t recognise the term or think it is a piece of technical jargon for the IT people to deal with.

Yet BI can transform an organisation by simplifying the way people use data and making it a natural part of the decision making process. By deploying BI a company can make good use of all the data at its disposal without the need to make assumptions.

As Ian Roper, pictured, Divisional Director for Supply Chain Solutions at Access Group, explains: “When ordering extra stock, for example, the ramifications involve Warehouse Management Systems, Labour Management Systems and Financials. It is vital that each manager knows that a problem exists and is working from the same data without gaps or silos. Achieving supply chain systems that give you this ‘full ticket’ takes integration and connectivity.”

Access explores this issue in its final White Paper in the ‘Mind the Gap’ series, titled: ‘Mind the Gap – are your systems the full ticket?’
“Increased complexity in today’s supply chains makes integrated IT solutions a must,” commented Ian. “Gaps between systems give rise to cost and accuracy issues. With best of breed systems that are integrated, interconnected, work from common datasets and provide reports, managers can keep track of events across their manufacturing and supply chain operations. Furthermore they can readily model the impact of possible future changes.”

Redshift Research carried out the surveys for Access Group, the Supply Chain Solutions vendor. ‘ERP for the Finance Function’, conducted 200 interviews with Finance & Accounting professionals working in manufacturing, distribution and logistics businesses in the UK. It follows recent Access Group research on Warehouse Management Systems, and Supply Chain Management. To receive a copy of the white paper: ‘Mind the Gap – Are your systems the full ticket?’, please contact: Natalie.Smith@theaccessgroup.com