5 Key Components of Agile Business Intelligence

Agile business intelligence is the use of agile software development frameworks for business intelligence initiatives, but it doesn't mean it has to follow as strict a process as software development. The key is that an agile BI strategy brings down the time-to-value of business intelligence and allow users to adapt to a rapidly-changing business environment. Agile business intelligence lets team leaders and members make better decisions quicker. In some environments, the term self-service BI is synonymous with agile BI. How does agile business intelligence differ from traditional business intelligence? Agile business intelligence not only delivers data and information, it provides companies with the agility to alter their course of action based on shifting user requirements and fluid business conditions. Company decision-makers can make better choices because the system provides a deeper context in addition to raw numbers and statistics. The benefits of agile business intelligence solutions include the following:

Low Initial Cost And Low Cost Of Ownership

Agile business intelligence tools are inexpensive, easy to implement and do not cost much to maintain (at least if you pick the right one, in recent years due to the influx of VC capital, agile BI tools have to a turn to the more expensive side). They are designed to leverage existing databases to create useful data analytics. Unlike large traditional BI software installations, agile business intelligence tools do not acquire a large outlay in hardware and software. This makes it much easier to apply security, provision end users, connect to data sources and monitor usage over time.

Agile Business Intelligence Encourages Experimentation

Since agile business intelligence tools connect to data sources rapidly, team leaders and members can experiment with different approaches. They might evaluate how new products, business expansion plans, marketing initiatives or building projects affect key performance indicators (KPIs). Business intelligence tools provide fast access to pertinent data and make data discovery a breeze.

Web-Based

Because agile business intelligence tools are web-based, they don’t require a cumbersome installation and boot-up process. End-users can quickly gather the reports and data they need to assist in their decision-making. In an increasingly mobile business environment, web access is an important feature. Managers and employees can access real-time reporting metrics wherever they are traveling in the world. Web reporting is fast and convenient.

Easy To Use

Agile business intelligence users do not need to know coding, and users with limited technical expertise can pull sophisticated queries and reports. There are plenty of self-help screens, guided tours and wizards to keep even the most technophobic user on track.

Agile Business Intelligence Encourages Collaboration

At times, workers in business units feel at odds with the IT department. Agile business intelligence tools give a lot of power to end-users to create reports and queries. This “self-service business intelligence” makes them feel more productive, and it frees up IT technicians to focus on more important technical problems in the organization. End users are happier because they can generate sophisticated ports without needing to call in an IT technician.

Bottom Line

Agile business intelligence tools are powerful additions to the decision-making resources of small and medium-size companies. They do not cost much to get started, maintenance cost is low, and they provide maximum value by helping users find the critical information they need to make accurate decisions. If you are interested in learning more about how an agile approach to BI can help your organization, take a look at our online demo of Yurbi and contact us for a live discussion. Or you can directly download Yurbi and start a trial. Yurbi continues to be one of the affordable self-service and agile BI tools in the industry.