These are some typical questions we get asked to support at Dufrain when reviewing reporting processes and systems. At Dufrain, our experience of working with organisations to streamline data and reporting typically identifies the following reporting challenges;
- Report Inventory: Usually there is not an inventory of reporting / workload, often resulting in resources being stretched to meet ad hoc requests in addition to business as usual reporting. Additionally, reports are produced that do not include critical metrics that cover key aspects of the business or establish line of sight from executive to operational performance
- Numerous Technology Platforms: Often the Business, Management Information Systems (MIS) and IT roadmaps are not aligned, resulting in numerous tools and systems, and in doing so creating sub-optimal and a complex reporting landscape. This results in additional manual processes and reduces the scope for automation. Usually the degree of automation is not fully understood. This results in inefficient processes that support data extraction, report preparation and distribution. The absence of an automation policy or approach further compounds the already complex reporting processes.
- Reporting Service Delivery Team: Often reporting teams are working with an inefficient reporting process and systems where reporting / data requests are numerous and not tracked. There is an unclear portfolio of reporting to end users, with unclear service level arrangements or software licence access. Challenges with data, such as no clear definitions, or understanding of linage or reconciliations, add to the complexity.
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Understanding where to start can be bewildering. Dufrains’ significant experience in addressing these challenges across a number of organisations. In the space of 6-8 weeks, through conducting departmental interviews, compiling report inventories and understanding the reporting processes and systems, we help organisations to answer key questions around three themes that can drive business benefits;
User Insight
- Which tools are used where?
- How much time is spent extracting & reconciling data?
- What is the best tool and what is the cost for the activities performed?
- Are there process / productivity gains to allow more value added activities?
Reports / Outputs
- What is the volume and type of outputs?
- Can the reports be rationalised / eliminated or delivered via a different mode?
- Who produces and consumes all the reports?
- Is it all used to drive decisions?
Calendar Analysis
- Where are the peaks and troughs of the workload?
- Are there opportunities for process / skill optimisation?
- What are the dependencies in workload / schedule and how can they be addressed?
- Is reporting and insight delivered so that it adds value to business decisioning?
Business Benefits
User Insight
- Improved user role definitions and role expansion after removal of manual processes
- Upskilling of users to enable greater time on analysis and commentary
- Reduced data errors through greater automation
- Reducing costs (people and software licences) to produce reports
- Organisations attaining greater understanding and insight from their data
Report / Outputs
- Rationalisation of reports and production effort. Organisations achieving greater understanding and insight from their data
- Alignment of metrics and reports that add value to business decision making
- Greater self-service of standard reports
- Enabling data access to the business to allow better data interrogation and insight
Calendar Analysis
- Understanding of workload and better resource utilisation
- Identification of processes that provide most value e.g. a fast close
- Removing dependencies in the reporting processes to reduce manual interventions and costs
- Implementing consistent processes and removing key person dependencies