While at work this morning, I had one of those random memories pass through my mind. It was of a scene from Douglas Adams’
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. You may remember this part where Slartibartfast (crazy name, huh?) tells Arthur Dent about a race of super-intelligent, pan-dimensional beings who built Deep Thought, a supercomputer designed to calculate the answer to “the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything.” Much to the beings’ dismay, Deep Thought reveals the answer to the ultimate question to be “42.” Deep Thought then declares that another computer, more powerful than itself, must be created in order to come up with the “ultimate question” for the “ultimate answer.”
So, other than the possibility that I may have ADD, what does this stray thought illustrate? It illustrates that even super-intelligent, pan-dimensional beings are capable of goofing up their approach to business intelligence solutions! OK – so they were seeking “meaning of life” solutions, but their predicament is still the same as that of many business people approaching complex sets of data to try to answer their own “ultimate questions.”
As
Answers Systems continues development on the Athena
SM analytics & reporting engine, we have discussed “ultimate questions” and the potential for answers like “42.” Too often than not, people attack business intelligence initiatives by looking for answers versus understanding if they are 1) asking the right question, 2) asking the right question in the right way to get the intended result. That’s why our training team is not just working on showing users the mechanical processes of how to use this new module within the
ContractPro® application. They are developing training to demonstrate to users how to come up with the right queries (questions) to get the answers that will help them have the most impact on their
trade promotion management initiatives.
One silly example I formulated to help users think about the right questions is the following scenario.
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Answer Approach
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Question Approach
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I want frosted donuts with sprinkles.
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How do I get one dozen frosted donuts with sprinkles without spending a fortune?
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Possible next steps to getting frosted donuts with sprinkles:
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Exact next steps to getting 12 donuts:
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Drive to the local donut shop
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Look at all the options
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Select the frosted one that is covered with sprinkles
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Ask the nice person behind the counter for one dozen
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Pay for the donuts and go home
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Results: I’m thousands of dollars deeper in debt. I have to wake up early to make the donuts. My money and time are wasted in the pursuit of some donuts.
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Results: I spent ten minutes round trip to the local donut shop. I spent just a small amount of money and got a coffee, too (bonus). I got exactly what I wanted with little effort and money wasted.
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Again, it’s silly, but it points out that you can go on a wild goose chase if you don’t know the right question to ask before pursuing the desired information/item.
In your next quest for Business Intelligence, don’t think about broad concepts of what you want to know. The “Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything” is not specific enough. Instead think about specific questions that will yield BIG insights into your
trade promotion programs.
My final advice, taken again from Douglas Adams: “Don’t panic.” Give us a call. We are here to help!