Crunchy questions for sticky issues

Analytics is the practice of using data to manage information and performance - and make smarter decisions. It can apply to almost any “sticky” business issue, but most organizations tend to focus on five main areas of decision-making and operations: customer, supply chain, finance, workforce and risk.

The world is more complex today - businesses have to consider the entire ecosystem in which they exist, including social, economic, environmental and political currents that would have seemed outside their purview not so long ago.

That puts analytics in the center of the action.

Many business leaders already know the inherent value of analytics insights for improving operations and driving smarter decisions. But amid all that potential, companies continue to struggle to build truly fact-based cultures. They talk a good game, but when you look deep inside their organizations, there's not much under the hood.

The benefits of analytics seem clear, and many executives can rattle off a list of potential gains. Cost isn't the issue. The best analytics investments are self-funding. And there's no lack of affordable technology. So what's missing?

That's where crunchy questions come in to lay the groundwork for action. They are practical, detailed inquiries into tough business issues - roll-up-your-sleeves questions for people who don't have time to mess around with fluff.

Learn more about the practical steps to jump-start business analytics efforts that deliver uncommon insights and breakout value in the new book: Crunchy questions for sticky issues: Using analytics to outsmart competitors.