When used effectively, Power BI provides your enterprise with detailed data visualization and analytics all in one place. This streamlines your data, keeps everything organized, and helps your team work more efficiently.
However, because Power BI is such a robust tool, mishandling complexities can cause implementations to ultimately fail. Here are some of the most common reasons for implementation failure, so you can better equip your enterprise team for Power BI success.
Why Do Most Power BI Implementations Fail?
1. Lack of Executive Sponsor
In order for your Power BI implementation to be successful, you will need a coherent adoption plan across your entire enterprise, spearheaded by an executive sponsor. Because Power BI implementations take time, executive buy-in is key throughout the process.
- The executive sponsor is a business leader that does not need to have technical expertise in Power BI. But, they are a business leader who:
- Holds the overall vision for how each internal team will use Power BI.
- Knows how Power BI fits into the overarching business process (which must be defined before a reporting solution is created).
- Decides on KPIs that guide organizational focus and action.
- Understands what kind of long-term support the team will need for a Power BI implementation.
Without an executive sponsor, Power BI implementations quickly become confusing and chaotic. Without one go-to decision-maker, each department is left to manage its data independently. This can result in discrepancies and a lack of support when it comes to expanding your Power BI capabilities or managing technical challenges.
Your data needs will expand and change over time. Your organization will absolutely need someone to oversee these changes before, during, and after the Power BI implementation process.
2. Lack of Governance
Your organization will also need defined processes and governance for Power BI. Everyone should be working from consistent sources of data when creating reports. Reports also need to be created using clearly specified internal processes and should be vetted for accuracy every time.
Implementing strong governance at the beginning ensures that your team will continue to use Power BI successfully in the future. Unfortunately, many teams jump directly into Power BI without taking the time to set up governance across the organization first.
This lack of governance results in data inconsistencies. You may have multiple versions of the same report or even similar reports with conflicting data points. This causes a huge amount of confusion across your organization.
3. Lack of Training and Tools
Since Power BI is a complex platform, your team members need thorough training in a supportive atmosphere to use Power BI to its fullest potential. Unfortunately, many teams jump into Power BI at the deep end without any training or resources in place to help.
If your team feels overwhelmed or stuck with Power BI, they’re likely to turn to other tools to get the job done. To keep your implementation from failing, you’ll need to make sure that every person using Power BI receives comprehensive training. They should also have access to resources and support on an ongoing basis.
4. Lack of Technical Architecture
Power BI implementation goes beyond your team members—you’ll also need the technical architecture to support this platform.
Implementations often fail when reports are stored in several different places across your organization, rather than in one central location. Having the architecture you need to store and manage your Power BI reports is especially key as your enterprise grows. Additionally, you’ll need a way to collect feedback from key stakeholders so that you can continue to improve.
How Collectiv Makes Power BI Implementations Successful
Expert guidance is the best way to make sure your Power BI implementation runs smoothly. Collectiv is a Power BI consulting and strategy firm that will guide you through the implementation process from start to finish.
Collectiv takes an adaptable approach to Power BI implementation to suit your organization’s unique needs, whether you’re just starting your Power BI journey or are already familiar with the platform.
By learning about your organization’s challenges, we develop a comprehensive data management strategy and tailored report structure that scales with your enterprise. Collectiv handles technical details like digital architecture, security, and cloud storage so you can focus on your business.
We ensure that implementation is successful by providing key resources. Our consultants come from a wide variety of industries, so we apply this experience and knowledge when developing a Power BI implementation strategy.
Our Visioning Program is a great option for getting your implementation set up for success. Our experts sit down with your stakeholders and team members to design an entire strategy that supports your processes—everything from governance to adoption.
We also provide Power BI training that is tailored to your team’s experience level. In addition to beginner-level Power BI training, we also offer training for intermediate users who want to enhance their skills even further.
If your enterprise is ready to get started with a successful Power BI implementation, Collectiv is here to help. Reach out to our team.
