The world is becoming progressively more digital. So generating insight from new and existing data and information sources – and using them to drive business performance – is increasingly essential for business growth and success.
But to do this effectively requires the right data and information foundations. This is why many organisations choose to develop a data and analytics strategy (also known as an information management strategy).
As with most transformative change, realising the true potential of your information assets requires both strategy and delivery capabilities:
- Data and analytics strategy: Developing a strategy to put in place all the data capabilities needed (see framework below) to enable your organisation drive insight and business value from data; and
- Data and analytics delivery: Executing your strategy, and using those data capabilities effectively to drive insights from your data (be that through basic reporting; business intelligence (BI); Artificial Intelligence (AI) and other advanced predictive, prescriptive and automated analytics) and using those insights to drive business performance and growth.
In some businesses, supplying evidence of a clear enterprise data and analytics strategy for internal audit is becoming mandatory. However, many organisations struggle to get to grips with their data strategy, finding the topic too broad, too nebulous to define, or too difficult to assign to executive ownership.
What I like about Berkeley is: encouraging us to adopt a methodology and solution that’s right for us rather than trying to force one upon us. Not that Berkeley compromise to appease the client — there’s still quite a bit of good, healthy challenge when working with them.”
Chief Information Officer, a global consumer goods company
Data and analytics consulting services: our data strategy framework
We have developed a tried and trusted framework to help organisations think and work through the six areas we believe are key to developing a strong data and analytics capability. However, every business is different so we don’t believe in a cookie-cutter, once-size-fits all approach. We’ll work with you to understand how this can best be applied to your business, and where to adapt it as needed.
Data and analytics consulting services: realising the untapped potential of your data
The untapped potential in data is greatly increased by the availability of, and the processing power to analyse, new data sources from both within the organisation (e.g. detailed data around how customers use your web site, and how and when they buy from you) and from outside it (e.g. social media sentiment, digitisation of everyday consumer behaviours, the Internet of Things, competitor and market share data, data from third party logistics providers, and geospatial data such as weather).
Unlocking the possibilities of your data
Many organisations believe there’s significant untapped value in their information assets that could be used much more effectively to drive business performance. This could include significantly improved insights in areas such as the five subjects below.
- Customers and customer behaviours: Leading to more effective customer relationship management and customer service, with a greater ability to cross-sell and up-sell.
- Profitability and cost to serve: Enabling greater focus on the product or service variants, pricing, promotions and sales channels that have the most potential to drive revenue and margin growth.
- Sales, operations and financial planning: With significantly improved ability to accurately forecast; align cross-functional, integrated plans; do ‘what if?’ scenario modelling; and predict what approach will drive the best business outcomes.
- Operational excellence: Highlighting the previously unrealised opportunities for efficiency gains and cost reductions.
- Innovation: Understanding how customers use and interact with your products and services, and greater insights on what innovations customers really want and would pay more for.
Data and analytics strategy consulting: deep experience
We’ve worked with many of the world’s leading companies to develop their data and information management strategies. As we also work on data and analytics delivery, we don’t believe in ivory-tower, abstract strategies that look fine on paper but fail the first test of implementation. Rather, we create practical and actionable strategy, supported by a clear implementation roadmap and investment case. All of this will transform your business into a properly insights-led, data-centric organisation.
We can help you balance and combine resolving the data and reporting issues of today, with exploiting the value of modern analytics that will future-proof your business for tomorrow – two goals that can be seen as conflicting in many organisations.
Data and analytics strategy consulting: a partnership approach
As with all our strategy work, our ‘low volume, high value’ model means we won’t overwhelm with large teams or take months to produce results. Typically only using one or two highly experienced and high calibre people, we work closely as an integral part of your team. We combine our data strategy ability, experience and insights; our understanding of ‘what good looks like’ in terms of the outputs; and the ability to drive a strong, collaborative strategy development process.
But we’ll never force through a rigid process, or think we understand your business better than you do. Doing the work ‘with you, not to you’ in this way gets to results that have real ownership and buy-in.
Many organisations realise that good data and analytics are essential for insights that drive business value and performance in the digital era. A good strategy provides the foundations to make the most of your data, and drive results from your investment in business intelligence and analytics. We can help you develop a practical and comprehensive data strategy to unlock your information’s potential.”
Jon Bradbury, Partner
Clients often ask us…
Question 1
What is a data and analytics strategy and why does my business need one?
Question 2
Data and analytics is such a broad topic that impacts every business function so how can I explore expanding our capability in a manageable way?
Question 3
How do we get clear accountability and traction with a meaningful data and analytics strategy across the business?
Question 4
How can I gain insights and value from data and use it to help me achieve my business goals?
Question 5
What’s the best way to create a governance framework for data?
Question 6
How do I best organise my people for data and analytics, and what skills do I need?
Question 7
How do I manage my organisation’s end-to-end data lifecycle?
Question 8
How do I create an operating model that supports the collection, management, use and storage of data to help me gain real insight and mitigate risk?
Question 9
How can I use data to help me innovate and remain competitive in my market?
Client stories
Beverage manufacturer
One of the world’s largest beverage manufacturers had created a new Global Data and Analytics function with a mission to accelerate business performance by providing business insight via new and evolving analytics tools, technology, capabilities and industry-leading data management.
However, it was clear the operating model needed better definition to make this new team work.
Over a short but intense engagement – through a mix of our strong Data and Analytics and Consumer Goods experience, and our collaborative and integrated approach - we developed a content-rich target operating model that leveraged best practice but was also specific to the organisation’s circumstances.
There are many companies that theoretically provide this type of work, but the combination of Berkeley's strong Data and Analytics background, and their individual skills, are what made this a truly differentiated experience, in a very positive way.”
SVP Global Data and Analytics
Global supply-chain logistics organisation
We helped the Group CIO and Enterprise Architect of a $5bn turnover global supply-chain logistics organisation.
We helped define what a leading-edge Information Strategy should look like and to demonstrate how this could be applied to the future business strategy and vision. We successfully consolidated the voice of the business into a compelling change narrative with a clear set of target business outcomes. As a result, the Executive Leadership Team approved the Information Strategy and endorsed a multi-year programme of work to fundamentally transform this organisation’s foundational information and data capabilities.
Multi-national food manufacturer
We helped a large, global food manufacturer create a comprehensive data strategy.
This work also created and aligned the business around a comprehensive set of prioritised use cases for data and analytics, to inform a detailed business case for implementation of the strategy. Over a three month period, we engaged a Business Working Group of over 30 people representing all areas of the business in a comprehensive strategy development process. Each executive team member (i.e. CEO and all direct reports) were also engaged directly on a one-to-one basis, both to gather their inputs and also to review and socialise the strategy outcomes with them. As a result of this engagement approach, the strategy gained real ownership, buy-in and momentum within the organisation. It received positive feedback from all senior stakeholders, and was subsequently approved for implementation by the full executive leadership team.
Berkeley provided structure and expertise to drive the project to a high quality outcome. We worked very well together, with our internal experience very much complementing the rigor, structure, and knowledge that Berkeley brought.”
Chief Financial Officer
Unilever - financial reporting
Unilever wanted to redefine its approach to management reporting, extending existing SAP tools to deliver a simpler and faster European financial close and management reporting timetable. We helped them evaluate their options, define plans and create the business case to secure funding for the project and then took over mobilisation and management of the 50-strong global vendor/client team which would deliver it.
FTSE 250 global manufacturer
Our client had no consistent approach to how information was used across the company, with many notable differences between regions.
There was also no view of how to prioritise efforts in tackling ‘traditional’ data challenges, such as reporting and master data, with the new opportunities offered by analytics and big data. As a result, the CIO asked Berkeley to help define how they should create an end-to-end data, information and reporting / analytics strategy.
We worked with the client to create a framework for the information strategy, using internal, common language which was clearly understood within the organisation. This allowed the business to align on their business and IT priorities for information and analytics, right across the end-to-end information lifecycle.
Global consumer goods company
At one of the world’s largest global consumer goods companies, the Customer Development (Sales) team required a comprehensive global data and analytics strategy to set direction for local markets and channel owners.
We worked with the Chief Customer Officer and a team of VPs from across the business, technology, IT and customer insights teams to define an overall data & analytics strategy. This comprised an overall vision, business objectives and data & analytics capabilities required to drive growth. We also helped to mobilise the strategy, which focused on the governance and capabilities required to manage execution.
Client stories
One of the world’s largest beverage manufacturers had created a new Global Data and Analytics function with a mission to accelerate business performance by providing business insight via new and evolving analytics tools, technology, capabilities and industry-leading data management.
However, it was clear the operating model needed better definition to make this new team work.
Over a short but intense engagement – through a mix of our strong Data and Analytics and Consumer Goods experience, and our collaborative and integrated approach - we developed a content-rich target operating model that leveraged best practice but was also specific to the organisation’s circumstances.
There are many companies that theoretically provide this type of work, but the combination of Berkeley's strong Data and Analytics background, and their individual skills, are what made this a truly differentiated experience, in a very positive way.” ”
SVP Global Data and Analytics
We helped the Group CIO and Enterprise Architect of a $5bn turnover global supply-chain logistics organisation.
We helped define what a leading-edge Information Strategy should look like and to demonstrate how this could be applied to the future business strategy and vision. We successfully consolidated the voice of the business into a compelling change narrative with a clear set of target business outcomes. As a result, the Executive Leadership Team approved the Information Strategy and endorsed a multi-year programme of work to fundamentally transform this organisation’s foundational information and data capabilities.
We helped a large, global food manufacturer create a comprehensive data strategy.
This work also created and aligned the business around a comprehensive set of prioritised use cases for data and analytics, to inform a detailed business case for implementation of the strategy. Over a three month period, we engaged a Business Working Group of over 30 people representing all areas of the business in a comprehensive strategy development process. Each executive team member (i.e. CEO and all direct reports) were also engaged directly on a one-to-one basis, both to gather their inputs and also to review and socialise the strategy outcomes with them. As a result of this engagement approach, the strategy gained real ownership, buy-in and momentum within the organisation. It received positive feedback from all senior stakeholders, and was subsequently approved for implementation by the full executive leadership team.
Berkeley provided structure and expertise to drive the project to a high quality outcome. We worked very well together, with our internal experience very much complementing the rigor, structure, and knowledge that Berkeley brought.””
Chief Financial Officer
Unilever wanted to redefine its approach to management reporting, extending existing SAP tools to deliver a simpler and faster European financial close and management reporting timetable. We helped them evaluate their options, define plans and create the business case to secure funding for the project and then took over mobilisation and management of the 50-strong global vendor/client team which would deliver it.
Our client had no consistent approach to how information was used across the company, with many notable differences between regions.
There was also no view of how to prioritise efforts in tackling ‘traditional’ data challenges, such as reporting and master data, with the new opportunities offered by analytics and big data. As a result, the CIO asked Berkeley to help define how they should create an end-to-end data, information and reporting / analytics strategy.
We worked with the client to create a framework for the information strategy, using internal, common language which was clearly understood within the organisation. This allowed the business to align on their business and IT priorities for information and analytics, right across the end-to-end information lifecycle.
At one of the world’s largest global consumer goods companies, the Customer Development (Sales) team required a comprehensive global data and analytics strategy to set direction for local markets and channel owners.
We worked with the Chief Customer Officer and a team of VPs from across the business, technology, IT and customer insights teams to define an overall data & analytics strategy. This comprised an overall vision, business objectives and data & analytics capabilities required to drive growth. We also helped to mobilise the strategy, which focused on the governance and capabilities required to manage execution.
