In our experience, analytics, which is a fairly recent term compared to well-established terms such as data warehouse and others, requires a careful approach in order to ensure both immediate success and the consequent longevity of the initiative.
Projects that prematurely attempt to complete an initial analytics project with large-scale, high-budget engagement run the risk of jeopardizing the entire initiative if the project does not turn out as expected.
Moreover, in such projects, the outcome measures are not clearly defined. In other words, measuring the value of the outcome is ambiguous. Sometimes, it cannot be quantified either. This arises because the success of an analytics initiative has benefits beyond simply the immediate monetary or technical competencies. A successful analytics project often helps to foster executive confidence in the department's ability to conduct said projects, which in turn may lead to bigger endeavors.
The general...
