Why will analytics be the next competitive edge?

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|December 20, 2011

Analytics is becoming a competitive edge for organizations. Once a “nice-to-have,” applying analytics is now becoming mission critical. An August 6, 2009, New York Times article titled, “For Today’s Graduate, Just One Word: Statistics” reminds me of the famous quote of advice to Dustin Hoffman’s character in his career breakthrough [...]

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Start small. Think big.

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|October 18, 2011

Many organizations seem to have a problem getting started with performance improvement programs, initiatives, and projects including embracing business analytics. Is it analysis paralysis or brain freeze or just resistance to change? Why do they not know how to get started? Maybe they are easily distracted. Distractions due to increased [...]

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Executives: If you want to be on the landing, then be on the take-off

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|July 26, 2011

I am increasingly detecting concerns from project managers and advocates of analytics-based enterprise performance improvement initiatives that senior executives are not sufficiently on-board or exhibiting buy-in thus jeopardizing the implementation success of the initiative. What is going on? An example of evidence is a recent Linkedin.com discussion group that I’ve [...]

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The Urgent Crowds Out the Important

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|May 24, 2011

Do you ever wonder why it takes so long for organizations to adopt modern managerial methods than can help them make better decisions on a daily basis? Methods (and the software technologies that support them) such as business intelligence, analytics and balanced scorecards have proven benefits when it comes to [...]

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The Problem That Has No Name

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|May 17, 2011

Do you know or do you think you know? What do we call this problem? It certainly involves uncertainty. Maybe it involves being too confident. Possibly a dash of ignorance. In the book Analytics at Work: Smarter Decisions, Better Results by Thomas H. Davenport, Jeanne G. Harris, and Robert Morison, [...]

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Horse Racing’s Triple Crown – Just like Business Analysts*

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|May 10, 2011

The Kentucky Derby horserace, the first leg of the USA’s prestigious Triple Crown races, was this past week-end. It made me think that thoroughbred racehorses and business analytic and performance management project leaders have similarities depending on which type they are. (This metaphor is also applicable to professional careers.) There [...]

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A Poem to Inspire Lower Management Level Managers

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|March 15, 2011

With this blog I am taking a “walk down memory lane.” I provide a poem written by Clive Dupont who is now a retired banker and wrote this poem in the 1990s when he was struggling as a project manager implementing an activity-based cost management system (ABC/M) system. He was [...]

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Academy Awards and Analytics-based Performance Management

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|March 1, 2011

I always find the acceptance speeches at Hollywood’s Academy Awards to be inspirational. The ones I enjoy most are Oscar recipients who thank the teams that contributed to their receiving the award. Success comes much more from teams than from an individual’s performance. My favorite acceptance speeches are from Oscar [...]

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Stability versus Volatility

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|February 1, 2011

Chinese dynasties lasted centuries. Investments in companies by Silicon Valley California venture capitalists may last only months. Which is best? A controlled growth approach or grab it all while the going is good? The tortoise or the hare. Which one won the race? Japanese firms like Toyota and Honda have [...]

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Why Does Shaken Confidence Reinforce One’s Advocacy?

Gary Cokins
Gary Cokins|December 14, 2010

These last few years I have been mystified as to why the adoption rate of proven and valuable managerial methods and techniques are taking so long to be applied in organizations. Examples are business analytics, the balanced scorecard, and activity-based costing. Organizations that use them proclaim improved performance and better [...]

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