Utilizing Business Intelligence At the Operational Level

https://drive.google.com/open?id=1HxBnSaxw-qmp8wMPWX65NAIlyJK74AjN&usp=drive_fs

The objective of this thesis is to explore how business intelligence can be utilized at the operational level of the case company. The stakeholders of the study are two teams working on the customer interface of a Finnish software company. The case company wishes to explore the use of business intelligence in a new context where it has not been utilized before. Providing stakeholders with the capability to utilize business intelligence tools can help them streamline their reporting tasks, as well as provide them with capabilities to visualize data, filter data based on their needs, and provide access to aggregated data. The study includes a literature review on business intelligence, business analytics, and analytical maturity. The research method used in this study is design science research, which involves designing and developing an innovative artifact to address problems that the case company is currently facing. The research data was gathered through interviews, in which nine senior-level employees were interviewed to gather insights about the current situation of the reporting, data, key figures, and their previous experiences with business intelligence. This resulted in an in-depth snapshot of the current problems detected in reporting solutions captured in the form of qualitative data. This data was analyzed to establish the objectives and requirements that the artifact should aim to address, following the principles of design science research methods. Based on these objectives and requirements, the artifact was designed and developed. The functionalities of the artifact were demonstrated and subsequently evaluated by forming illustrative scenarios to support the artifact’s effectiveness. The main findings of this study indicate that the artifact can serve as an efficient addition to the current reporting tools. It offers easier access to data and introduces functionalities that are not currently available with other reporting tools. However, these findings were overshadowed by two major limitations discovered during the design and development phases. The limitations encompassed the current availability of the licenses required to utilize the artifact and the case company’s data governance policies. These limitations, combined with the time constraints of this thesis, resulted in the artifact not being evaluated with stakeholders.