LEVERAGE: Does BI ROI depend on having a large number of users?
Give me a place to stand, and I shall move the earth with a lever
Archimedes ca 287-212BC
Can a BI system have only one user and still provide HUGE payback? Absolutely!
Can a BI system have thousands of users and be a wasted investment? Absolutely!
One thing to consider when predicting whether a BI system will pay for itself is the “leverage” of its users. If a single user regularly makes multi-million dollar decisions, that user has high leverage.
On the other hand, if a user makes decisions with less of an effect, that user has low leverage.
In reality, most BI systems support some combination of high leverage and low leverage users. The trick to payoff? Making sure that the total dollar value of improvement in decisions exceeds the amount spent to build the BI system.
