Data analytics & decision intelligence
Consolidate data, agree consistent measures and prepare reports that support specific management decisions. The work covers data quality, dashboards, relevant trend analysis and handover to the people maintaining the information.
How we can help
A report is difficult to use when departments calculate the same measure differently or draw information from different reporting periods. Before building a dashboard, those definitions and source records need attention. The first discussion therefore centres on the decisions the report should support, who will use it and what information they need to act.
Ivany Concepts helps organisations consolidate and clean data, define measures and develop dashboards and analysis. Where the data supports it, the work can include trends and forecasting. We document assumptions and limitations so readers understand what a figure represents, when it was updated and which questions it can reasonably answer. The engagement includes guidance for your team to maintain the reporting process.
When this may be useful
- Departments present different figures for the same measure and management meetings are spent reconciling the reports.
- Staff assemble routine reporting from multiple spreadsheets with repeated manual cleaning and copying.
- Managers need a clearer view of performance trends, but existing reports contain too much detail or unclear measures.
What the work involves
Review and consolidate sources
Identify the data needed for the agreed decisions and examine its completeness, consistency and history. Bring relevant records together, resolve avoidable duplicates and document gaps that cannot be corrected from the available information.
Define measures and calculations
Agree how each measure is calculated, its reporting period and the person responsible for it. Check totals against source records and establish consistent treatment of missing values, revisions and categories used across departments.
Develop dashboards and analysis
Build views that make the agreed measures easy to inspect and compare. Use trends or forecasting where appropriate to the question and data. Explain assumptions and uncertainty alongside the analysis so the presentation is not misleading.
Prepare the reporting team
Walk users through the reports and the decisions they support. Document data refresh steps, checks and ownership. Help the maintaining team understand how to investigate unexpected figures and identify when a source or definition has changed.
How the assignment runs
Agree the reporting questions
Meet report users, inspect current sources and select the measures needed for specific operational or management decisions.
Prepare and model the data
Clean and consolidate records, agree definitions and check calculations with the people responsible for the source information.
Build and review reports
Develop the views, test them with users and refine presentation. Hand over the refresh process, interpretation guidance and known limitations.
What to prepare
These details will help us understand the starting point and agree a useful scope:
- Current reports and examples of decisions they are intended to support
- Representative data extracts and access to source owners
- Existing metric definitions, reporting schedules and available tools
If some information is still being developed, we can discuss what is available in the first conversation.
Questions about this service.
For anything specific to your organisation, get in touch. We can discuss the requirements before you decide on an engagement.
Can you work with incomplete or inconsistent data?
Yes. Reviewing and cleaning data is part of the service. Some gaps can be resolved through source records or agreed rules; others must remain visible as limitations. The initial assessment helps establish which analyses the available data can support.
Which dashboard software will we need?
We assess your existing environment, reporting requirements, budget and maintenance capacity before recommending a tool. If a suitable tool is already available, that forms part of the assessment. Licensing and access requirements are made clear in the proposed scope.
Will a forecast tell us exactly what will happen?
No. A forecast is an estimate based on historical information and assumptions. Where forecasting is useful, we explain those assumptions, review how well the approach fits available history and show the uncertainty relevant to the decision.
Let’s talk about what you need.
Share a little about your project, the challenge you are facing and where you would like some help.