Workshop

Taking Action with Analytics: The Decision-Centric Enterprise

Putting Predictive Analytics to Work Improving Every Business Decision

Intended Audience:
Managers. Project leaders, directors, CXOs, vice presidents, investors and decision makers of any kind responsible for working with analytics or interested in using analytics to improve their business.
Technology experts. Analysts, BI directors, developers, DBAs, data warehouse specialists, architects, and consultants who wish to build systems that make better decisions.

Instructor:

James Taylor, CEO, Decision Management Solutions

Day: February 20, 2009

Schedule:
Workshop starts at 9.00am
Morning Coffee Break at 10.30am
Lunch provided at 12.30
Afternoon Coffee Break at 2.30pm
End of the Workshop: 4.30pm

What is a decision-centric enterprise?

A decision-centric organization is focused on the effectiveness of its decisions rather than aggregated, after-the-fact metrics. A decision-centric organization recognizes decision-making as a competency and devotes resources to elevate, understand and continuously improve its decisions. The decision-centric organization:

Knows which decisions matter and to what

Knows who makes and who owns each decision

Uses the right analytical technology to support or manage each decision

Those who want to get the most out of their adoption of predictive analytics must develop a decision-centric approach that goes beyond just the creation of good models. They must understand the kinds of decisions they have, how these fit into their operational environment and how analytics can be used to improve those decisions. In addition they must understand how complimentary technologies and approaches help turn analytic models into better business decisions for improved operational results.

This workshop will cover the principles of Enterprise Decision Management, its application to critical business processes and decisions, and the appropriate use of available technology. It will show you how to identify and prioritize the operational decisions that drive your organization's success, introduce business rules as a foundation to automate these decisions, link these decisions to data mining and predictive analytics and discuss how to ensure continuous improvement and competitive advantage using adaptive control.

Taking Action with Analytics: The Decision-Centric Enterprise will cover:

A Decision-Centric Enterprise

Introduction to Enterprise Decision Management

Identifying and Categorizing Decisions

Defining Decisions with Business Rules

Decision-Centric Data and Analytics

Driving decisions with predictive analytics

Decision Analysis and Simulation

Adaptive Control

Optimization

Decisions in Processes, Events and Systems

Getting Started – First Steps

This training program is focused squarely on solving business problems and on how the various technologies and approaches should be used together. It is vendor-neutral and focused on how to apply techniques and approaches, rather than focusing on the details of those approaches.

Start Learning Right Now

Those interested in the subject can find useful materials in a variety of places:

James' blogs at www.jtonedm.com and www.ebizq.net/blogs/decision_management

James' expert channel on the BI Network www.b-eye-network.com/channels/index.php?filter_channel=1430

Every workshop attendee receives a free copy of “Smart (Enough) Systems”, the critically acclaimed book from workshop presenter James Taylor and Neil Raden.

“Automated decisions systems are probably already being used in your industry, and they will undoubtedly grow in importance. If your business needs to make quick, accurate decisions on an industrialized scale, you need to read this book.”
Thomas H. Davenport, Professor, Babson College, Author of Competing on Analytics

The computer-based systems most organizations rely on to support their businesses are not very smart. Many of the business decisions these companies make tend to be hidden in systems that make poor decisions, or don't make them at all. Further, most systems struggle to keep up with the pace of change.

The answer is not to implement newer, “intelligent” systems. The fact is that much of today's existing technology has the potential to be “smart enough” to make a big difference to an organization's business. This book tells you how.

Although the business context and underlying principles are explained in a nontechnical manner, the book also contains how-to guidance for more technical readers.

About the Instructor

James Taylor is one of the leading experts in the emerging space of enterprise decision management. James works with clients to help automate and improve the decisions underpinning their day to day business operations. He helps clients bring multiple classes of technology to bear on solving business problems such as business agility, operational business intelligence, analytic competition and business process management.

Previously, James was a Vice President at Fair Isaac Corporation where he developed and refined the concept of enterprise decision management or EDM. Widely credited with the invention of the term and the best known proponent of the approach, James helped create the emerging EDM market and is a passionate advocate of decision management. He actively maintains two blogs on decision automation, and frequently comments on subjects ranging from analytics and business agility to compliance and business process management. Working with Neil Raden, he has published the definitive work on decision management – Smart (Enough) Systems (Prentice Hall, June 2007).

James has 20 years experience in all aspects of the design, development, marketing and use of advanced technology including CASE tools, project planning and methodology tools as well as platform development in PeopleSoft’s R&D team and consulting with Ernst and Young. He has consistently worked to develop approaches, tools and platforms that others can use to build more effective information systems.

James is a lecturer at the University of California Berkeley and appears frequently at industry conferences, events and seminars. Along with writing numerous contributed articles for industry publications and reports, he has contributed chapters to “The Business Rules Revolution”, “Business Intelligence Implementation: Issues and Perspectives” and “The Decision Model (forthcoming).”