The TIBCO Spotfire blog had a nice post – Tips to Get Your Organization Ready for Big Data – and it struck me that these tips were all good advice for someone trying to do “Big Decision Management” – that is Decision Management with Big Data. I would add a few comments though:
Collaboration is always important in Decision Management and when Big Data involved the usual three legged stool (business, IT, analytics) is even more important than ever. The increased IT risks of Big Data (new technology, skills shortage) as well as the need to do more advanced analytics (not just reporting) against big data to turn all that data into something actionable make collaboration critical.
The advice to start with a focused project is also good. I like to say BWTDIM – begin with the decision in mind – and this is particularly important when adopting new technologies and managing technology risk. This focus also helps determine if you need big data to solve your problem by beginning with the problem (of making a better decision). It also ensures that you know what the value proposition for new Big Data technologies will be if you do adopt them as you will be able to say that they will specifically help improve this decision which in turn impacts these metrics/objectives (something you should always know about a decision before beginning a decision management project).
Finally I have a small tweak to the second of the 5 specific tips listed in the blog post. I completely agree that business needs should drive big data adoption. But what does this really mean? I believe it means that the business has identified that big data can help improve a specific decision. Of course this implies that you know what the decision is, you know why it matters, you know what a good one looks like and can measure the results. BWTDIM!
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