Better decisions for business and healthcare organizations are at stake!

Our assessments of situations do not need to be precisely accurate. They just need to be directionally right so that subsequent decisions, about things such as strategy, tactics, and investment levels, have a much better-than-average chance of success. Making an assessment that is directionally wrong, such as misreading a rising market and leaving it wide open to competitors, can obviously cause problems.

However, I would suggest that a business or healthcare delivery system is in even greater danger when its leaders use the prevailing uncertainty as an excuse for not making decisions. A rabbit that sits out in the highway dazed by the headlights is eventually going to be roadkill, but one that thinks there may be a gap in the traffic might live to see another day. See where I’m going with this best practices concept?

The challenge to extract value from data and make better decisions is one of the central premises of Deloitte’s recently published report, “Analytic Trends 2015; A below the surface look.” Analytics, they say, is, “moving squarely into the mainstream of business decision-making, becoming both the air that we breathe – and the ocean in which we swim.”

How are machine intelligence and embedded technologies beginning to augment the work of talented knowledge workers? And how are you getting the talent you need to dig for and present the actual data you will use in your decisions? Are you on top of that wave or behind it?

First, double down on data security! Why? Do your read the business news? Hacking. Remember, unless your data and dev apps pros are hyper-aware of intrusion threats, then you and your data are at risk.

As Deloitte points out, improving data security requires the convergence of innovation, analytics, digital connectivity, and technology —and integrating them in a seamless approach.

Delivering that across an on-premise platform consisting of myriad different legacy solutions from disparate vendors is never going to be easy, and will rapidly eat into the biggest budget. What’s more, when the money is spent and the last technology integrator has left the building, a business user somewhere will still be downloading data into a spreadsheet and compromising data security all over again. Don’t be that person.

What are Your Better Choices?

It’s really tough to hire, train and grow your corporate planning analytics team. It’s just a very costly investment. Is there another option? Start here:

• Only select solutions that encompass the full gamut of business users’ needs so they do not constantly resort to offline spreadsheets.
• Ensure that selected solutions already have integrated enterprise-level access and security rights for all types of device.
• Read Deloitte’s report. And others if you have any doubts. Then ask your peers, influencers and IT communities to recommend a short list of firms that have the talent, focus and track record to get you the data you really need and will use in making better, data-driven planning decisions.
• Expect the best. Ask for it. And then prosper from the results.