This work aims to give managers the tools to put the right measures in place. It shows how quantitative measures can be applied to behaviour as well as to financial and operational decisions and provides the tools that enable managers to decide strategic actions based on factual analysis. It also shows how smart metrics can produce joined-up management: all units working together to create value for the firm.

Implement demand driven smart metrics to drive and sustain dramatic gains in flow and improve ROI performance What if the objective of minimizing unit product cost that is hard coded into all reporting and measurement systems is simply "bad math" that drives decisions and actions that destroy ROI? In today's volatile, globally competitive environment, new decision-making tools are required to monitor, measure, and improve total organizational performance. Adherence to "old" operational rules, tools, and behaviors is killing competitiveness in most enterprises. A fundamental shift is required. Cowritten by internationally recognized experts in the field, Demand Driven Performance explains why current measurement forms must be replaced. The authors present a demand driven blueprint and the smart metrics to maximize flow and ROI. "The methods described in this book worked in one of the most complex manufacturing operations that you can imagine with very effective results." -- From the Foreword by Dan Eckermann, former President and CEO, LeTourneau Technologies, Inc. THIS PRACTICAL, TIMELY GUIDE OFFERS: The case against conventional unitcost-focused metrics, and proof of their negative effects The new rules needed to succeed in the complex and volatile global demand and supply landscape Historical perspectives on flow, cost, and rise and demise of management accounting The evolution of flow and ROI as strategy A case study--the Boeing Dreamliner Instructions on how to design and implement a demand driven information system The smart metrics required to sustain and drive improvements in demand driven operating models

Get the end-to-end instruction you need to design, develop, and deploy more effective data integration, reporting, and analysis solutions using SQL Server 2008—whether you’re new to business intelligence (BI) programming or a seasoned pro. With real-world examples and insights from an expert team, you’ll master the concepts, tools, and techniques for building solutions that deliver intelligence—and business value—exactly where users want it. Discover how to: Manage the development life cycle and build a BI team Dig into SQL Server Analysis Services, Integration Services, and Reporting Services Navigate the Business Intelligence Development Studio (BIDS) Write queries that rank, sort, and drill down on sales data Develop extract, transform, and load (ETL) solutions Add a source code control system Help secure packages for deployment via encryption and credentials Use MDX and DMX Query Designers to build reports based on OLAP cubes and data mining models Create and implement custom objects using .NET code View reports in Microsoft Office Excel and Office SharePoint Serverook

Convert the promise of big data into real world results There is so much buzz around big data. We all need to know what it is and how it works - that much is obvious. But is a basic understanding of the theory enough to hold your own in strategy meetings? Probably. But what will set you apart from the rest is actually knowing how to USE big data to get solid, real-world business results - and putting that in place to improve performance. Big Data will give you a clear understanding, blueprint, and step-by-step approach to building your own big data strategy. This is a well-needed practical introduction to actually putting the topic into practice. Illustrated with numerous real-world examples from a cross section of companies and organisations, Big Data will take you through the five steps of the SMART model: Start with Strategy, Measure Metrics and Data, Apply Analytics, Report Results, Transform. Discusses how companies need to clearly define what it is they need to know Outlines how companies can collect relevant data and measure the metrics that will help them answer their most important business questions Addresses how the results of big data analytics can be visualised and communicated to ensure key decisions-makers understand them Includes many high-profile case studies from the author's work with some of the world's best known brands

Working Backwards is an insider's breakdown of Amazon's approach to culture, leadership, and best practices from two long-time Amazon executives—with lessons and techniques you can apply to your own company, and career, right now. In Working Backwards, two long-serving Amazon executives reveal the principles and practices that have driven the success of one of the most extraordinary companies the world has ever known. With twenty-seven years of Amazon experience between them—much of it during the period of unmatched innovation that created products and services including Kindle, Amazon Prime, Amazon Studios, and Amazon Web Services—Bryar and Carr offer unprecedented access to the Amazon way as it was developed and proven to be repeatable, scalable, and adaptable. With keen analysis and practical steps for applying it at your own company—no matter the size—the authors illuminate how Amazon’s fourteen leadership principles inform decision-making at all levels of the company. With a focus on customer obsession, long-term thinking, eagerness to invent, and operational excellence, Amazon’s ground-level practices ensure these characteristics are translated into action and flow through all aspects of the business. Working Backwards is both a practical guidebook and the story of how the company grew to become so successful. It is filled with the authors’ in-the-room recollections of what “Being Amazonian” is like and how their time at the company affected their personal and professional lives. They demonstrate that success on Amazon’s scale is not achieved by the genius of any single leader, but rather through commitment to and execution of a set of well-defined, rigorously-executed principles and practices—shared here for the very first time. Whatever your talent, career or organization might be, find out how you can put Working Backwards to work for you.

Knowing everything you can about each click to your Web site can help you make strategic decisions regarding your business. This book is about the why, not just the how, of web analytics and the rules for developing a "culture of analysis" inside your organization. Why you should collect various types of data. Why you need a strategy. Why it must remain flexible. Why your data must generate meaningful action. The authors answer these critical questions—and many more—using their decade of experience in Web analytics.

How Strategy Works in an Interconnected, Automated World Leaders already know that the classic approach to strategy--analyze, plan, execute--is losing relevance. But they don't yet know what replaces it. As everyone and everything becomes more interconnected and digitized, how do you operate, compete, and win? Ming Zeng, the former Chief of Staff and strategy adviser to Alibaba Group's founder Jack Ma, explains how the latest technological developments, such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, the mobile internet, and cloud computing are redefining how value is created. Written especially for those outside the technology industry or the startup arena, this book introduces a simple, overarching framework to guide strategy formulation and execution in this data-rich and highly interactive environment. Revealing the revolutionary practices that he and his team have developed at Alibaba, Zeng shows how to: Automate decisions through machine learning Create products informed by real-time data from customers Determine the right strategic positioning to maximize value from platforms and suppliers Repurpose your organization to further human insight and enable creativity Lead your company's transformation into a smart business With insights into the strategies and tools used by leaders at Alibaba and other companies such as Ruhan and Red Collar, in a variety of industries from furniture making to banking to custom tailoring, Smart Business outlines a radically new approach to strategy that can be applied everywhere.