The Data Driven Business

A maturity perspective

More than an abstract aspiration

What is a data driven business?

A data driven business exploits data at every level to achieve both strategic and operational advantage. Advanced tools and technology are employed to make data and analytics an intrinsic and/or embedded part of activities from strategy and planning in the boardroom, through decision-making on the front line, to powering digital engagement with customers, partners and suppliers.

Few have so far made the grade

When 480 organizations were objectively assessed during a recent study*, most were still on their "data maturity" journey.
A small minority qualified as being genuinely data driven.

Maturity Journey

Data starved

3.5%

Relatively chaotic approach to handling data, leading to poor business visibility and higher data-related risk

Data sustained

45.8%

Respectable level of basic competence, but patchy and often backward-looking business visibility

Data empowered

46.0%

Good on-demand availability of consistent, complete, upto-date and forward looking business insights

Data driven

4.8%

Continuous and often realtime insights, delivered proactively and in context across the entire business

Data driven businesses perform better

Using a scorecard based on nine indicators of business efficiency, effectiveness and success, aggregate performance consistently aligns with data maturity.

Are you doing as well as you think?

Perception and reality can be different. You might 'feel' that your organization is data driven, but is it really by today's standards? It's easy to over estimate your capability, or overlook how much technology and best practices have moved on. Don't miss the opportunity.

When will you become data driven?

Planning and preparation

Forewarned is forearmed. Take note of the hurdles that can stand in the way of progress:

71%

Lack of senior
managerial support

70%

Cultural resistance to
change and transformation

67%

Internal politics

72%

Poor KPI alignment
across the organization

68%

Lack of knowledge and
skills within business units

65%

Too much reliance on
central analytics group

74%

Cost/budget related
issues

70%

Too much reliance on
legacy infrastructure

75%

Risk & governance
related concerns

75%

Fragmentation of data
(e.g. too many silos)

You don't have to go it alone

How valuable would services be from suppliers to help with the following?

Groundwork

82%

Strategy and planning, defining needs, setting objectives, desired outcomes
88%

Assessing the data you have and where it sits, identifying tools used
81%

Co-creation: working with suppliers to define projects and identify outcomes

Architecture

81%

Defining data architecture to deliver business value
80%

Architecture and design, how data should be held/classified/protected

Control & OPs

83%

Defining security and
data governance
80%

Defining operational processes and training requirements

Highly valuable

Valuable

*For a more detailed presentation and discussion of the research, please see the report entitled: “The road to becoming a data-driven business” which is available for download here.