Business versus IT
In his blog "bi for business people," Tom Hudock revives the old business versus IT debate, based on some of his recent experiences.
Although I totally agree with the general gist of his post, he makes a few remarks that I'd like to comment on. I know Tom likes a good debate as much as I do!
Tom argues that the sponsor for any BI project should come from the business, not from IT. The CIO often is not at the decision-making table, he observes, and he mentions "the golden rule": those with the money, make the rules.
You know what, I think Tom is right, but I still don't agree. Maybe it is the case, but it shouldn't be. I've always said that the only project approach more disastrous than the IT-driven project, is the business-driven project. No concept of architecture, no leverage for other areas, no real expertise in systems implementations.
I really would like to introduce another golden rule, or wait, let's make it the platinum rule: "those with the knowledge and experience, make the rules." BI implementations, like most IT projects, have a strong business side and a strong IT component. Both IT and Business need to agree. Which brings me to a broader point, organizational maturity. In a project you collect the necessary skills, such as project management, technology skills and business skills, regardless in which department they reside. If I see an "IT project," or a "business project" doing BI, I know enough, it's gonna fail. You need a "BI project," or an "XYZ project."
Bottom line: It's not OR, it's AND. And if the company culture doesn't allow that, and one overrules the other, well, every organization gets the results it deserves.
-frank
