FO RUM
Analyzing analysts:
dreamer vs. pragmatist
Analysts and EPM project
managers in all industries
face a common struggle:
acceptance of their ideas,
methods and findings
by often suspicious
work colleagues and
managers, some of
whom exhibit substantial
resistance to change.
BY GARY COKINS
20
|
Do you have two imaginary voices that are on
each of your shoulders telling you opposite messages? I do. And the voices are conflicting. One is a message of positive hope and possibilities, and the other
one is of negative discouragement.
The topic and context for each message involves
the frustratingly slow adoption rate for applying analytics and progressive enterprise performance management (EPM) methods. Examples of EPM methods
are the balanced scorecard with key performance
indicators (KPIs), channel and customer profitability
analysis, driver-based rolling financial forecasts and
lean management techniques.
I much better enjoy the inspiring messenger compared to the naysayer one. Who wouldn’t? But I have
two ears, so I must listen to both voices.
The negative voice is the clear-eyed pragmatist.
The positive voice is the creative wild-eyed dreamer. Using a jail prisoner analogy, the pragmatist sees
the prison window bars as barriers while the dreamer
sees the stars in the night sky.
What I am writing about is the struggle that analysts and EPM project managers in all industries
have. It is with the acceptance of their ideas, methods
and findings by often suspicious work colleagues and
managers, some of whom exhibit substantial resistance to change. (You know the type. Their motto is,
“We don’t do it that way here.”)
A N A LY T I C S - M A G A Z I N E . O R G
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