We all know that investing in Data Governance is key, but how many of us prioritise the governance of BI platforms as a specific focus?
We often see BI tools rolled out in organisations in a much less strategic way than with other tools. Tools such as Power BI are, by their very nature, designed to be accessible to non-technical users. This can make adoption easy, but governance less so.
Platforms grow organically and can go unmanaged – or even unmonitored – for years. We often see a lack of clear ownership for BI platforms, with a blend of IT, data teams and business functions sharing accountability and responsibility for key BI platform decision-making.
Security risks in a BI tool can go unnoticed, such as key tenant settings left enabled or poor access management strategies. The lack of defined responsibility can lead to the assumption that someone else has already taken care of security risks.
BI Tools: Easy adoption, solid governance
Organisations can find themselves struggling to see the ROI from reporting rollouts. Investing in new reporting and great insights is one thing, but if you’re not seeing usage from the desired audiences or if end users are still reliant on legacy platforms (Excel, we’re looking at you), can you call your report build a success? This is where targeted BI governance can be the key to driving adoption.
A people-first approach to Power BI Governance
When discussing with one Dufrain client how to get started on a Power BI Governance initiative, they told us, “Microsoft will give you 1,000 ways to do something but won’t tell you the one right way to do it.” This really does summarise the pain point for many organisations. There is so much information out there and a lot of opinions, but where to start?
The key is that there isn’t really one right way to “do Power BI.” All 1,000 of those approaches and options will be the right one for some organisations. A great place to start is by assessing the needs of your business and making a decision from there.
Start with a people-first approach: Who do we want to use this tool? What do we want them to achieve? Why is this valuable? You can shape your processes around these mission statements and adopt the right technology to support them.
Balancing Control and Innovation
Key to a people-first approach is ensuring that the controls you put in place do not stifle innovation. Roll out too many processes to manage change, and you will see adoption rates decline. Whether people default to legacy or more familiar technology to circumnavigate the delays caused by newly implemented tech, they want to get the job done without bureaucratic processes or the training and upskilling required.
Failing to consider the needs of your BI consumers, developers and admins before considering processes and tech can also create accidental key-person dependencies. We often see BI tools being rolled out by single enthusiasts – sometimes contractors – whose processes and work go unchecked. Considering how you will support these innovators as an organisation is key to finding the balance between control and innovation.
Insights from Dufrain’s BI leaders
We spoke to Megan Livadas, Co-Head of BI & Analytics, about her experience delivering Power BI governance strategies for our clients:
“As many organisations find their BI capability maturing, we are seeing increased focus on governance of BI platforms. Organisations facing capacity throttling after years of unmanaged or unmonitored platforms find they don’t know where to start when it comes to getting a handle on things. We’ve worked with global clients to upskill teams in QA and Power BI Governance while delivering roadmaps that will enable an 80% reduction in assets. This people-before-process approach is what keeps our deliveries adding value long after working with us. We augment our reporting deliveries and optimisations with key enablement features – whether that be ensuring we set your platform up in a way that will ensure adoption while balancing controls, or whether that be upskilling mature teams in advanced modelling and deployment.”
You can catch Megan’s session on Creating a Power BI Culture at Data Scotland
Change Control: Guarding your BI investment
We spoke to Senior Consultant Toni Baron about BI change control:
“Change control isn’t just about tracking adjustments – it’s about safeguarding the relevance and reliability of your reports. By monitoring change, we ensure that reports remain aligned with user needs, maintain data culture integrity, and keep audiences engaged. Without change control, your reports risk becoming obsolete, lost in the ‘graveyard’ of unused data.”
Toni is speaking at Data Scotland on Friday, 13th September, where you can catch her session to learn more about controlling change in Power BI.
Key Takeaways: Move and Start Small
We’ll leave you with two key considerations to take from this read:
- Move as your data is moving. One-off implementation of governance frameworks is great but change management must be kept fresh. Adapt your processes as your data estate grows and develops.
- Start small – perfect is the enemy of good! Where a platform clean-up or adoption drive feels intimidating, start small and iterate changes rather than trying to fix everything and achieving nothing or implementing too many processes that aren’t adopted. You’ll have more success by homing in on critical improvements (like a better workspace set-up or improving your development standards) than by trying to go from no controls to too many at once.
Want to know more?
Watch our new 4-part webinar series, where BI experts Colin Gresham and Megan Livadas share practical tips and strategies to help you take control of your data.
Want to read more?
Check out our other BI blogs below:
BI tool migration: Is it for us?
Straightforward strategies for optimal Business Intelligence performance
Saving you from data confusion and overload: Using effective BI implementation to overcome chaos
The Blueprint to Successful BI Reporting