Back it up

In an era of instant gratification - probably an era initiated by the launch of the microwave - attempting to implement best practice enterprise data warehouse and business intelligence (BI) is challenging.

Executives run a race in the market to remain competitive, and the fast-changing nature of markets may incentivise executives to opt for shortcuts to delivery, rather than the approach that may take a few weeks or months longer than expected.

While agile approaches today strive to speed up the delivery of high-quality features, even then one needs to invest in the necessary infrastructure and tools that enable agility. Tools such as automated testing, automated deployment, simplified refactoring, etc, empower agility significantly but require financial and time investment upfront for speed and agility later.

This is, by experience, quite a hard sell to executives who get caught up in the rat race. In scenarios where the IT and BI teams have compromised on quality to serve urgency, it is even more difficult to convince the executive teams of the value of doing things right, and to get buy-in for the implied investment upfront. So, what then is the golden key solution here? Executive sponsorship!

There is a lot of confusion about the difference between executive sponsorship and other terms such as project sponsorship, project owner, business owner, etc. Executive sponsorship means the executive team understands and buys into the importance of best practice and quality of development for longer term gain. It's like an investor who sees an up-and-coming business endeavour with promise, and the investor is then willing to commit his or her financial and other resources to turn the endeavour into a sustainable business. The investor becomes the business' sponsor.

In an ideal world, one would want the whole executive team to grasp and support or sponsor the BI team's vision and endeavour for high-quality solutions. In reality, that is not as easy to achieve. Therefore, it is usually easier to identify one executive sponsor.

The natural assumption is that the person who directly represents BI on a C-level is the obvious sponsor, which in most cases is the CIO. Unfortunately, the CIO is often put in a position to defend and motivate all strategic decisions to the other executives if viewed as a "cost centre owner" rather than a "profit centre owner". For this reason, it is recommended that the CIO lobby to get an effective ally or sponsor in the executive ranks of the "profit centre".

Executives run a race in the market to remain competitive.

This sponsor is the person who sits across the boardroom table, but understands the CIO mandate and vision, and will second any motion raised by the CIO. So, who is the ideal executive sponsor? Is it the finance director, marketing director, operations director?

Each of these director's portfolios holds advantages and potential obstacles for BI endeavours. Therefore, it is advisable to ignore the executive's business portfolio and rather consider the individual's personality traits and character.

The ideal executive sponsor is one with the technical acumen to understand the business value for best practice investments, and have the required passion and willingness to lobby on the CIO's behalf. But, most importantly, it must be the person who is credible and trusted by other executives, and therefore is influential. This person should be the proverbial bulldog standing just behind the poodle that discourages unnecessary resistance.

For CIOs or BI managers without an executive ally, how do they go about establishing and securing that sponsorship? The first thing to do is to identify the right person with the technical acumen, passion, credibility, and influence. Once the right person has been identified, launch a strategy founded on a political and technical tactic.

Start with the political approach first by lobbying. Approach the identified executive and gradually raise awareness and understanding of the business value of best practice approaches. If needed, rope in some of the executive's subordinates, who may have already used existing operational or tactical level BI features, to open the door.

Once the executive's interest has been captured, remember that a promising business venture is not founded only on politics. Claims of business value have to be proven or substantiated. Convince the newly acquired executive to sponsor a proof of concept endeavour, something small but significant enough to clearly illustrate the business value of approaching BI from a best practice approach, rather than a short-cut approach. Remember, success cannot be achieved on good faith alone. The proof is in the pudding, and the proof of concept success will also become the smoking gun to influence peers.

Remember now, executive sponsorship is a mutual agreement that is only as strong as its weakest link. Make good on the promise of the business value of best practice, so once the executive sponsor has been secured, and opportunities are granted to do things right, don't ever consider compromising on quality. Sustain the success and sponsorship by delivering high quality and attaining ever-increasing capability towards future agility.