What is a Business Intelligence Competency Centre (BICC)?
Who sits on a BICC group?
It is a permanent feature of the organisation with members drawn from all functional areas that have a key stake in the effectiveness of the Business Intelligence technology. Therefore, the group should include those with influence over:
- Information providers (data gathering, data quality)
- Information consumers (dashboards, reporting)
- Information analysts (data warehousing, marts and analytical tools)
- Information technologists (IT support)
This is not an exclusive list. The BICC may include others who have an invested interest in the way that information is collected, processed and distributed in your organisation. The BICC does not need to have board-level representation, but it is important to its success that it enjoys board-level support or sponsorship.
It is usual for a BICC to have one or more external members to act in an advisory capacity, a function that Amadeus provides.
What does a BICC do?
Wherever the organisation interacts with data from the business, the BICC oversees requirements, best practices and the implementation and development of your Business Intelligence capabilities. The BICC helps to define clear business objectives for the collection and use of information, compliance responsibilities such as data protection standards (e.g. ISO 27001). The role of the BICC whether as a governing body, an advisory body or as an overseer is defined by its remit from company management.
What does it cost?
Surprisingly little. As the team is drawn largely from internal stakeholders, it is their time which is the "cost", which will vary according to the frequency of meetings and the actions to be followed up by individual members. The financial costs are therefore relatively small, and the true cost is therefore "commitment", the commitment of the organisation to setting standards and frameworks in a process of continuous review and improvement, and then ensuring that existing and new systems work together to achieve those goals. It is a "cost" which is significantly outweighed by the benefits.
