Question

Choose an organization that you are passionate about. Consider how this organization is performing. Are there areas for improvement? Even the most well-run organizations experience problems.

Now imagine for a moment that your team has been recently hired as analytic consultants for this organization. Brainstorm and come up with 2-3 ideas that that organization may be facing currently. It is your team’s job to investigate why things are happening. For example: Why are sales declining or why do our products sell more during poor weather?

Choose the most appealing idea and analyze the problem and present your findings. You are expected to integrate relevant models and concepts along with using logic and insights/skills.

You should provide sufficient information to capture all the components of the Business Analytics Process. A presentation must include a statement of and background description of the problem; identification of data sources; synopsis of data preparation methodologies used and detailed discussion of the data preparation steps taken; description of and reasoning for the modeling techniques used in analysis; appropriate and detailed visualization of results; explanation of conclusions, recommendations, and predictions drawn from each of the three types of business analytics: descriptive, predictive and prescriptive.

Answer 1

Problem Statement
Case1- No centralized knowledge or Standardized policies or programs
Case2- Unstable Customer environment where the processes are not defined. Major operations issues seen. P1 are handled based on the level of noise of customer.
Case3- No collaboration between the teams. Process, Delivery & Tools are handled by different organizations.

Possible Solution

Case1- Build a center of excellence team to build out key processes and expertise around the enterprise. This team can be a shared team that provides industry best practices, research & support/ training on a focus area.

Case2- Perform business analytics on People, Process & Technology.

Major pain areas in People area are-

•No communication

•No collaboration

•No accountability

•Lack of management commitment

•Resistance to assessment, planning and reluctance to be proved wrong

•Bureaucracy

Major Pain areas in Process area are-

• Low process maturity

•Unpredictable processes, poorly controlled & reactive state

•Low productivity

• Lack of mature Service Management processes

•Lack of information, monitoring & measurements

Major Pain areas in Technology are-

• Obsolete technology- expensive to maintain

• Manual handling

• Crashes & downtime

•Increased cost

• Decreased productivity

•Legal & Regulatory compliance risk

•Security vulnerabilities

Case3- To overcome the mentioned challenges-

In People area-

•Training & build knowledge database

•Create accountability

•Create RACI

•Bifurcation of responsibilities

In Process area-

•Map each pain area to a process

•Document current & desired state of ITSM in the organization

•Create a Roadmap

•Process engineering

•Streamline process

In technology area-

•Upgrade from legacy to latest technology

•Integration of technologies

•One page landscape of Services

•Service Dashboard

•Implement SIAM to manage multiple suppliers