BUSINESS ANALYTICS

We work at the intersection of data, software and clarity.

Using powerful analytical techniques, we'll help you make better decisions.

We have extensive expertise in developing models for:

• Board reporting packages
• Management reporting packages
• Balanced scorecards
• Business intelligence dashboards (BI)
• Optimization models
• Demand-supply models for real estate products
• Economic base analysis
• Shift-share analysis
• Employment analysis
• Demographic analysis

Here are some examples of dashboards we've built for our clients by leveraging the power of Power BI, Power Pivot and Excel.

Many companies are struggling to make sense of their data. And the problem isn’t a shortage of information, nor is it inadequate software and hardware. What is lacking is a deep understanding of how best to do so.

And this is exactly what we did for our client—a regional tourism board for a world-class touristic destination. We’ve developed a management reporting and data analytics tool to automate the process of providing management with concise reports on which they can confidently base decisions.

Our client publishes monthly statistical reports about the performance of hotels and hotel apartments. The existing IT system contains the information, but extracting, compiling and checking statistical reports put regular drain on business intelligence personnel. The process is long and prone to human error and can take 1 to 3 days effort from one or more team members to update data and add insights.

By leveraging the power of PowerPivot in Excel, we transformed this monthly chore into a largely automated, accurate and reliable process. In addition, we provided management with dashboards representing current business data in a user-friendly format that provides high-level and in depth views of data.

Business benefits

• Managers of the tourism board now have enhanced data analysis capabilities enabling them to make faster and more accurate business decisions.
• The visual dashboards provided management with a clear overview of performance so they can quickly investigate issues or better  understand success.
• The solution eliminated cut and paste errors, freed-up human resources and provided a consistent, accurrate and visually impressive reports with few mouse clicks.

CASE STUDY - BALANCED SCORECARD DASHBOARD

CASE STUDY - MANAGEMENT REPORTING AND DATA ANALYTICS FOR TOURISM BOARD

CASE STUDY - HOTEL PERFORMANCE DASHBOARD

In this assignment we've developed for our client—an industrial group in the FMCG business—a balanced scorecard dashboard to support better decision-making amongst management—and ultimately help improve performance.

The dashboard above shows 307 numbers—within a single eye span—summarizing the performance of 25 companies operating in 7 regions within 6 divisions. The spreadsheet for this display contains 5,000 values representing 100 different performance indicators.

Evidence indicates that—compared to other common presentation mediums, a.k.a. PowerPoint slides—dashboards are superior analytical tools for a broad range of problems where presenting numbers and images is required.

Also research tells us that PowerPoint data graphics show an average of 12 numbers per graph—that usually coincides with one graph per slide in compliance with the distinctly unscientific rule of “no more than one topic per slide”. This is extremely low when compared to respected publications such as the Wall Street Journal (112 numbers per graph), New York Times (120) and Science (>1,000)—Tufte, E. R. 2003. The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint. Cheshire, CN: Graphics Press.

If PowerPoint—instead of the above dashboard—is to be used for making decisions, the numbers suggest the construction of 26 (307÷12=26) separate slides to show the same data. Indeed, an interrupted visual reasoning that reduces the analytical quality of serious presentations of evidence—and consequently less conductive for business planning and corporate strategy.

Business benefits

• The dashboard improved the ability of management to align strategies and organizational goals.
• Increased productivity by measuring the organization’s inefficiencies and by easily identifying and correcting negative trends.
• Provided a mean for sharing operational data that empowers employees to understand objectives and to thereby make the right decisions.

The dashboard above shows a graphical view of the performance of a 199-room, 5-star hotel compared to that of the competitive properties within its market area. We’ve designed it to assist our client—a hotel operator—in forecasting their hotel’s performance considering the demand and supply dynamics in the hotel’s market area. Consultants, investors and developers could also use the dashboard to assess the market potential for an existing hotel or a proposed one—that’s still on the drawing board.

Some 16 small graphs and tables depict a long time frame of market performance in addition to complex relationships between different key indicators. Combining overview with detail, this one-page, high-resolution set of graphs makes sense of 592 numbers. Again, if PowerPoint is to be used as a medium of presentation, the numbers suggest the construction of 49 (592÷12=49) separate slides to show the same data. No doubt, making the analytical task of doing comparisons, links and explanations a difficult one.

Business benefits

• The dashboard enabled our client to run scenarios on their business and make management decisions with confidence by avoiding  opinion-based arguments.
• The client now has a very useful tool that can be used repeatedly to forecast the hotel’s performance in the future—hence  leveraging their investment in building a reusable model over a number of years.

Put your data into a dashboard and quickly change the way you see and monitor your business and completely change the decision-making experience.