Introduction
The Business intelligence and analytics design workshop allows you to spend time reviewing the overall business intelligence and analytics planning, fit-gap analysis, design blueprint to provide guidance on maximizing the use of standard features, alignment to product roadmap, and general design guidance. This workshop isn't intended as a fit-gap review. The expectation is that fit-gap analysis and initial consideration of solutions for every scenario will be completed prior to the workshop.
Note
Not every project will need the Business intelligence and analytics design review workshop.
The goal of the Business intelligence and analytics design workshop is to ensure that the Business intelligence and analytics solution design is well understood, planned, and that appropriate solution strategies and technologies are used. You can complete the design by collecting insights on the implementation activities, reviewing the current planned solution design, and raising recommendations, risks, and issues that are related to the plan and solution strategies.
The purpose of the Business intelligence and analytics design workshop is as follows:
Drive communication and understanding - The business intelligence and analytics design workshop is intended to drive a conversation about the business intelligence and reporting requirements of the project that promotes general understanding across the implementation team regarding the reporting goals, scope, architecture, and approach to implementing the reporting solution.
Identification of risks and issues - By taking a broad but high-level look at the business intelligence solution and strategy, you can identify issues and risks with the solution design or implementation approach that will negatively impact the outcome.
Timing of the Business intelligence and analytics design workshop
The Business intelligence and analytics design workshop provides a foundation for the reporting solution and the approach to implementing it. Without having that foundation in place, subsequent business intelligence activities are at risk of not fully supporting the goals and ultimate success of the solution. As such, we recommend that you conduct the Business intelligence and analytics design workshop as close to the beginning of the design phase because you have already collected the requirements and started planning solution strategies. Conducting the review early allows you to minimize the impact of issues that are found and identify risks before they become issues.