Design and deployment of business performance dashboards for ma
nagement
No business can be set on ‘auto-pilot’ mode and be expected to steer itself to success. Various key elements of a business that determine its success or failure have to be monitored closely by senior management to ensure the business is tracking as intended by its owners and shareholders. In a highly competitive environment, managers are constantly under pressure to monitor the performance of the business on a daily, if not hourly, basis.
This is where Dashboards have become the tool of choice for senior managers. There are many software packages out there that can provide Dashboards that will suit the needs of any business. However, how do you determine which one will best suit you? This is where R2C2 can assist you in working out what data you need and how best to present it. The most versatile tool to use to try out Dashboard ideas is MS Excel. We can help you set up Dashboards quickly, try them, tweak them along the way and settle on the most suitable and effective Dashboard design for you, which, can then be used to clearly demonstrate to software vendors what is required for your business.
Generation of spreadsheet based modelling and simulation
R2C2 can assist in setting up spreadsheet models for capital investment analysis such as Net Present Value (NPV) analysis, Payback Period analysis and ROI.For inventory management, R2C2 can assist with statistical analysis and modelling of slow moving stock to help lower inventory costs. Based on historical data, statistical models can be set up to simulate future sales demand to help with stock management in warehouses.
Analysis of data trends and patterns
The phrase ‘Big Data’ has become quite popular lately. With business software systems such as ERP and CRM packages capturing volumes of data, the challenge for businesses is to determine how they can use this data to make their business more competitive and more profitable. To do this, the data needs to be analysed in detail to seek out relevant trends and patterns that may reveal information that can be useful for the business. Most businesses do not have the time nor the resources to do this. R2C2 can assist in carrying out detailed data analysis work for you so that the Big Data you have collected over the years can be more useful than just being archives.
Extraction and integration of real time data from back end databases and data cubes using SQL and macros
Most businesses will be using some a database system to transact their sales, purchases, payments, receipts, stock movements, payroll, etc. Some businesses will also be using a database system, such as a CRM software package, to track customer information.
Among many advantages of using database systems, one major advantage is the ability to use the information captured to further improve the business. The most common way this information is used is through the generation of reports from the system. The default reports that come with the system normally are designed to cover the most basic requirements, and, invariably, they tend to fall short of what a business truly needs. One way is to pay the supplier of the database software to customise these default reports to suit the needs of the business. And this may work for some period of time but business needs change over time, especially if a business wants to stay competitive. Hence, a report that was suitable when it was created, may not be suitable after a period of time and would require changes to keep it relevant and useful.
This is where the flexibility of MS Excel becomes advantageous and hence why many businesses use this tool ‘to fill the gaps’ in their standard reports. R2C2 can help businesses in being more productive when using Excel for these purposes by creating well integrated macro-driven spreadsheets to automate the extraction of relevant data from the system, and generate the required reports from this data. Besides providing your business with a more efficient method of creating reports, these R2C2 created spreadsheets have the added advantage of reducing any human errors that can creep in when working with non-automated spreadsheets.
Development of VBA based macros for spreadsheet automation
There are many users of MS Excel that set up a spreadsheet once to carry out certain analysis work, derive the information they need and then, either, use this spreadsheet on an infrequent basis or never at all. However, there are many users who use a particular spreadsheet or two on a daily basis and repeat the same steps regularly. MS Excel provides functionality to automate these steps, which not only makes the user more productive, but also prevents errors. By working with MS Excel users in your business and getting a thorough understanding of how spreadsheets are used, we can advice on what level of automation, if any, will be most beneficial to the user.
Provision of on-the-job staff training on MS Excel
R2C2 can provide on-the-job training for staff members in your business who are required to use MS Excel as part of their daily job requirements. Often there are more than one way of doing things in MS Excel, with most users naturally adopting the method they are most familiar with rather than seeking out the most efficient method to use. We can assist in ensuring MS Excel users in your business are getting the most out of Excel and empowering them with skills that will be useful to your business.
