This post is part of the Talk Data to Me series exploring relationships—the data and business intelligence type.
We’re picking back up our Talk Data to Me series Q&A-style, with a few of ACGI’s valued customers that are data powers users for their association! Each of them shared their perspective of the value of business intelligence, challenges faced and advice for associations looking to invest in BI solutions. First up…
Data Power User: Erika Shea, Database Manager, Boston Society of Architects
ACGI: Give it to me straight. Describe your working relationship with data.
ERIKA: As the database manager, I’m deep in the data, creating reports, mailing lists, and places in our AMS to capture targeted data, understanding how and where our data is stored, and analyzing data integrity.
ACGI: How is your organization using data and analytics?
ERIKA: From my perspective, we are at the tip of the iceberg. We are just starting to look at implementing data analysis on a more consistent, in-depth basis, to see what information we might be able to discover.
ACGI: What are some challenges your organization has had to overcome?
ERIKA: I think our challenges are still a work in progress. Our focus now is trying to get everything that the organization does into one centralized system, rather than stand-alone systems that only do one thing, but do that one thing really well.
ACGI: What is your organization’s long-term vision for using business intelligence?
ERIKA: I think ideally it is to be able to make decisions about what programs to offer, document membership trends, etc., that would provide educational insight to help guide business decisions.
ACGI: What advice would you offer other association professionals who are thinking about investing in utilizing business intelligence?
ERIKA: It is definitely worth it. Be prepared to spend some time developing reports, verifying that the reports return correct and useful information. It is an ongoing process of capturing new types of data—maybe even from different streams of information—mapping that data, and reporting and analyzing it.
Join the data conversation on Twitter @ACGISoftware, #TalkData2Me. We also welcome feedback and blog suggestions, so let us know if you have a story to contribute to the Talk Data to Me series! If you missed the first post of the series, The Layered Look—Stylin’ Your Data Wardrobe, check it out here. Look for Part 2 of our Q&A sessions next month!
