Business Intelligence Visualization – A New Asset Lifecycle Management Strategy, Part II

In the May 2008 issue of Managing Change, Part I of this article discussed the importance of establishing key performance indicators (KPIs) and the use of dashboard software to display performance information. In this segment, we’ll discuss the important role of locational data and commercial geographic information systems (GIS). Business Intelligence Visualization, in total, equates to knowing everything you need to about an asset, everywhere you care to know it.

Dashboards can only display the status, of cost, of operational categories of information. As an example, let’s consider work orders. A dashboard may report the status of thousands of open work orders. If a dashboard report shows yellow or red scorecard levels, it can be an indication that some aspect of work order responsiveness is falling below a set minimum satisfactory compliance level. Adding the capability to show the locations of where work is accomplished, or where problems occur, a portfolio manager gains the additional understanding of which aspect of response has less than satisfactory compliance levels. Providing specific visual information on the location of reported performance within the enterprise adds substantial management context.

The value of location data should not be underestimated. Integrating GIS solutions with KPIs and dashboards allows us to create a practical view of how work is, or should be, accomplished. With a locational reference, we can easily query for and portray business analytical data by building, site or even region. Not only will this capability help managers identify and understand the source of a performance statistic, but it dramatically improves our ability to analyze and plan.

For example, let’s assume that our KPI for open work orders was showing less overall accomplishment than we desire. Statistically, a dashboard will show us the aggregated view, and with some drill-down capability, we may see that there is a particular site in question. Adding GIS will then let us examine the site, looking for cause and effect relationships. Is there a physical feature, such as building separation, terrain or even weather conditions, that prohibit work performance at the levels we might expect for the overall portfolio? Without the GIS component of Business Intelligence Visualization, we would never know and we might incorrectly assume that the workforce in a particular setting was just lagging behind.

In another example, let’s consider utilization planning. Statistically, we can plan organizational relocations and our data could show us that we have available space at several different facility campuses. Only through using a spatial data view, however, can we see where the vacant space really is. Is it contiguous? Are there physical security considerations? What are the anticipated travel distances and times? Will the cost of cascading intra-site moves overshadow the value of the benefit achieved by relocation? There are many questions that can only be answered with confidence by using locational data and GIS.

Commercial GIS tools, as an integral component of a total Business Intelligence Visualization solution, allow us to interrogate a data set with substantially greater acuity. In its most fundamental aspect, Business Intelligence Visualization can be understood as locational intelligence combined with dashboard-level reporting on key performance indicators. Users are able to drill through basic scorecard reports to trend transaction-level data at specific locations. True Business Intelligence Visualization not only answers the “what” questions but also shows “where, why and by whom” to enable asset portfolio managers to determine corrective or mitigating measures quickly and reliably.

By combining various commercial technologies into a single view, Business Intelligence Visualization maximizes the effectiveness and utility of information. It provides a statistical and locational depiction of performance status and brings together all information components for confident decision-making across the asset portfolio enterprise.

To summarize, increasing Government scrutiny for improved management processes and performance requires Federal agencies to develop and maintain key performance indicators as barometers for success. Dashboards in isolation are too limited and do little more than re-package abstract data. What is missing is a means of validating reported data by tying dashboard-like presentations to locations of the assets and work processes that ultimately underpin that data.

Business Intelligence Visualization bridges that gap. Business Intelligence Visualization is the best decision support capability to turn data into useable information to support Federal compliance initiatives.

By combining access to validated and sustainable performance and locational data for any organization, KPIs achieve a reliable capability for decision support. As simple examples, Business Intelligence Visualization enables an organization to identify the best location for facilities based on mission requirements, workforce demographics and geography. For security and space planning, Business Intelligence Visualization offers a snapshot of existing facilities and the organizations using them, as well as the infrastructure surrounding those facilities. For cost management, Business Intelligence Visualization profiles performance by work type, by location, giving added clarity to support better resource allocations and management decisions.

The outcome is better, faster and more efficient asset management decisions made with increased confidence and reliability. Risk mitigation is improved, operations can be streamlined, and compliance with Federal mandates is simplified.