We have laid out what we’ve learned from decades of working in the analytics industry. Much of what we’ve written is based on solid case studies and real-world experience from organizations around the world in a wide range of industries. That said, we’re almost certain that you’ll have your own ideas of the current capacities and capabilities of your organization and staff, and the possibility of embarking on and sustaining a long-term journey in analytics. You may have nascent ideas of where you might want to take your organization on that journey. You might decide on having your organization embark on an enterprise-wide analytics journey that results in constant improvement over the long haul, or you may find that the better course of action is simply to improve isolated areas of your operations. Perhaps even a simple, localized project might make the most sense for your company.

A critical step at this juncture is to take...