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To cite this article: Villamarín García, J.M. & Díaz Pinzón, B.H. (2017) Key 
success factors to business intelligence solution implementation. Journal of 
Intelligence Studies in Business. 7 (1) 48-69. 

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Journal of Intelligence Studies in Business 
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Key success factors to business intelligence 
solution implementation  

José Manuel Villamarín Garcíaa,* and Beatriz Helena 
Díaz Pinzóna  
a Universidad Nacional de Colombia, GISTIC Research Group, 
Bogota, Colombia *jmvillamaring@unal.edu.co 

 

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Key success factors to business intelligence 
solution implementation 

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ISSN: 2001-015X 

Vol. 7, No. 1 2017

José Manuel Villamarín García and   pp. 48-69 

Beatriz Helena Díaz Pinzón 

   

Business intelligence and SMEs: 
Bridging the gap
Ekavi Papachristodoulou,  Margarita    pp. 70-78

Koutsaki and Efstathios Kirkos      

Klaus Solberg Søilen     pp. 5-37

A new model for identifying emerging technologies
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Key success factors to business intelligence solution 
implementation  
 
José Manuel Villamarín Garcíaa,* and Beatriz Helena Díaz Pinzóna  
 

aUniversidad Nacional de Colombia, GISTIC Research Group, Bogota, Colombia 
 
*Corresponding author: jmvillamaring@unal.edu.co 
 
Received 6 February 2017; accepted 27 February 2017 

ABSTRACT Business intelligence (BI) solutions have been adopted within organizations as a 
mean to achieve a more grounded decision making process that results in better organizational 
outcomes. Nowadays, about 70% to 80% of business intelligence implementation projects fail 
due to both technological and managerial issues. Multi-methodology proposed by Mingers (2006) 
was followed to develop the research in four phases: appreciation, where documental search was 
conducted through a literature review; analysis, where hypothetical structures related with the 
key success factors were proposed; assessment, where key success factors were assessed along 
with experts; and action, where research results discussion was shown. As a result, 13 factors 
that affect the business intelligence solution’s success were identified. Those factors contribute 
to improve planning and implementation of business intelligence projects, accomplishing in a 
greater extent the purposes of these projects. 

KEYWORDS BI projects, BI success, business intelligence, critical factors, key success factors 

 
1. INTRODUCTION 
For companies and institutions to survive in 
the economy and in the business world, 
decisions must be accurate and made on time 
(Karim 2011; Olszak 2016). To have trusted, 
accurate and timely decisions, information 
needs must be ideally satisfied (Rajterič 2010) 
since the amount of time between making a 
decision and its feedback (which requires a new 
decision) is shorter every time (Folinas 2007). 
For companies to remain competitive in the 
new economy they must dynamically respond 
to both environmental changes and customer 
requirements (Velicanu and Matei 2008). 

In practice and despite the facts mentioned 
above, it has been noticed that a great 
proportion of BI projects fail. According to 
Gartner Inc. about 70% to 80% of BI projects 
fail (Ortega 2013; SAP 2013). Pham et al. 
(2016) estimated a rate of failure 
approximately between 65% to 70%. Castelán 
et al. (2010) claim this proportion is about 40% 

to 50% for systems based on data warehouses, 
such as BI systems, because of issues that were 
not considered early on. This is consistent with 
another study that reveals that in addition to 
failing, they are also abandoned at the same 
rate (Herrera, 2011).  

Failures in the use of BI implemented 
solutions are significant as well. In a few cases 
this type of solution tends to be discarded or 
fails to be implementations. About 10% to 20% 
of projects that did not fail in the pre-
implementation stage are executed result sub-
utilization by those users that were supposed 
to use them (Arnott 2010; Yeoh and Popovič 
2016). 

However, existing problems in the BI 
project field can be seen from different 
perspectives. From a general point of view, 
there are two groups that summarize the 
presented failures: managerial obstacles and 
technological obstacles (Sakulsorn 2011). From 
a specific perspective there are problems 
related to the project leaders, sponsorship, 

Journal of Intelligence Studies in Business 
Vol. 7, No. 1 (2017) pp. 48-69 
Open Access: Freely available at: https://ojs.hh.se/ 

 



 49 
solution requirements, designs, training, tools, 
tracing, posted objectives, estimated time to 
execution, data, data sources, problems with 
the technology handling, user needs, and 
investments, among others (Ahmed 2014; 
Castelán et al. 2010; EMC Consulting 2010; 
Gurjar and Rathore 2013; Herrera 2011; SAP 
2013). 

Those failures produce problems within 
organizations such as wasted of resources, 
time, and costs of opportunity of invested 
capital, as well as an inability to achieve 
expected benefits (Ortiz 2014). 
Taking into account the given failures when 
thinking about BI solutions and the problems 
that arise at the time of sharing information at 
an organizational level, this research aims to 
give a conceptual framework of key success 
factors to improve BI solutions success within 
organizations. All of these take contributions 
from several authors, validate those 
contributions at an organizational level and 
generate factors or specific characteristics that 
allow organizations to get greater effectivity 
rates in the adoption and implementation of 
these type of projects.  

2. THEORETICAL BACKGROUND 
Given the high failure rates, sub-utilization 
and the withdrawal of BI solutions, the need to 
approach issues that encourage good planning, 
use, implementation and holding of these type 
of solutions is evident. For that, researchers 
have attempted to identify those factors that 
could contribute to BI solution success, and are 
linked to benefits that could be potentially 
achieved (Ramamurthy and Sen 2008; Srikant 
2006; Solomon 2005; Shin 2003; Hwang et al. 
2004 cited in Hawking and Sellitto 2010). 
These factors have been called “key success 
factors”. Issues such as solutions adoption, 
complexities in implementation, and business 
purposes justify a more focused study of key 
success factors for BI solutions (Yeoh et al. 
2008).  

The challenge for organizations is to identify 
factors that have the greatest influence over 
their BI systems (Sangar and Iahad, 2013), 
which is why the topic of key success factors 
becomes a useful concept to understand the 
events during a BI project. Further, it becomes 
a construct easy to understand by managers, 
executives, technology information 
professionals and other people from areas that 
can carry theory into practice (Arnott 2008). 

2.1 Key success factors 
“The theory of KSFs gives good basis for stating 
what criteria should be followed during 
implementation of BI applications” (Olszak 
2016, 112). Key Success Factors are defined in 
the literature as those critical areas where 
everything has to work correctly for business to 
flourish (Umble and Umble 2003, cited in 
Sangar and Iahad 2013). Equally, they are seen 
as high level considerations that differ from a 
set of deliverables at the end of a project (Yeoh 
et al. 2006). The definition made by Olszak and 
Ziemba (2012) goes further and claims that 
they are seen as a set of tasks and procedures 
that must be approached to secure the BI 
systems achievements during their 
formulation and promotion. This is used as the 
definition in this research. 
2.2 Key success factor in BI solutions 
Literature presents different key criteria to 
ensure BI solution success (Table 1). In turn, 
these factors present key characteristics that 
describe in a detailed way the meaning and 
composition of each factor. 

2.2.1 Directives and top 
management 

The engagement of the key members of the 
management team relates to the BI project 
(Table 1). According to Cidrin and Adamala 
(2011), a high level of top management support 
is associated with a high level of BI project 
success. Likewise, it helps to manage the 
change process and battle the resistance 
against project (Arnott 2008). 

Leadership figures have important 
influence since if these executives exert a 
significant influence, they will be seen as 
leaders, and, employees will tend to follow 
them (Hobek et al. 2009). 

2.2.2 Business linking 
According to an interviewed person from the 
study by Yeoh et al. (2007, 1362), “a BI system 
that is not business driven, is a failed system”. 
Also Salmasi et al. (2016, 26) stated that “For 
BI success in an organization, information 
systems must meet the business needs”. A solid 
business model must incorporate all strategic 
proposals that the project will approach, 
needed working resources, possible risks, costs 
to take on and deadlines to execute the project 
(Table 1). Thus, the model will provide 
justifiable motivations by which the adoption of 
a new solution changes the existing practices 
(Yeoh et al. 2007).



 50 
 
Table 1 Collected key success factors (characteristics) based on the literature review. 

Factor Key characteristics References 
Directives and 
Top 
Management 

- Committed support and sponsorship from top management 
- Continuous support and support from directives 
- Directive sponsor, informed and committed 
- Active participation from actionist  
- Well-qualified managers and managerial teams 
- Project that fulfil with the sponsor needs 

Arnott 2008; Chan et al. 2013; Cidrin and 
Adamala 2011; Dawson and Van Belle 
2013; Hawking and Sellitto 2010; Olszak 
and Ziemba 2012; Sangar and Iahad 2013; 
Yeoh et al. 2006; Yeoh et al. 2007; Yeoh et 
al. 2008; Yeoh and Koronios 2010; Olszak, 
2016; Pham et al. 2016; Yeoh and Popovič 
2016. 
 

Business 
Linking 

- To have well defined business process and problems 
- Strategic BI vision linked to company initiatives 
- Align business needs 
- To have well defined business requirements related to 

information 
- To have well defined business model 
- Identify key performance indicators (KPI) 
- Involve business affairs with the technical side 
- Establish metrics and classifications handled by business side 
- To govern the information handled by business 
- To formulate a methodology and a project management 

handled by business side 
- To have a theoretical and upgradeable framework managed 

by business side 
- To formulate a project approach handled by business side 
- Well-stablished business case 

 

Arnott 2008; Cidrin and Adamala 2011; 
Hawking and Sellitto 2010; Sangar and 
Iahad 2013; Olszak and Ziemba 2012; 
Yeoh et al. 2007; Yeoh et al. 2008; Yeoh 
and Koronios 2010; Yeoh and Popovič 
2016. 

Project Leader 
or “Champion” 
set-up 
 

- High-level person with business knowledge 
- Business oriented Champion 
- Project Champion 

Sangar and Iahad 2013; Dawson and Van 
Belle 2013; Hawking and Sellitto 2010; 
Yeoh et al. 2006; Yeoh et al. 2008; Yeoh 
and Koronios 2010. 

Strategy - Clear mission and vision 
- Strategical vision of the BI project 
- Business vision 
- Clear business plan 
- Strategic and extensible technical framework 
-  

Cidrin and Adamala 2011; Dawson and 
Van Belle 2013; Sangar and Iahad 2013; 
Olszak and Ziemba 2012; Yeoh et al. 2008; 
Yeoh and Koronios 2010; Olszak, 2016; 
Pham et al. 2016; Yeoh and Popovič 2016. 

Change 
Management 

- Suitable and effective change management due to BI Project 
- User-oriented change management 

Hawking and Sellitto 2010; Olszak and 
Ziemba 2012; Sangar and Iahad 2013; 
Yeoh et al. 2008; Yeoh and Koronios 2010; 
Pham et al. 2016; Yeoh and Popovič 2016. 
 

Project - Project planning 
- To define and manage project scope 
- Project that delivers “quick wins” 
- Effective project management 
- Solutions design  
- Solutions design based on the end user 
- Clear link between business objectives 
- Project methodology 
- Project performance 
- Competent BI project manager 
- Respond to lack of flexibility and answer to user requirements 
- To build a project pilot which introduce incremental changes 
- Iterative development handled by business part 

Arnott 2008; Cidrin and Adamala 2011; 
Hawking and Sellitto 2010; Olszak and 
Ziemba 2012; Sangar and Iahad 2013; 
Yeoh et al. 2007. 

People and 
Human Talent 
Teams 

- Support from an external consultant in the start phase 
- Formal an interactive engagement with participation of the 

end user during project life cycle. 
- Appropriate mixed skills team 
- Well defined user expectations 
- Balanced skills and composition of the team 
-  

Arnott 2008; Dawson and Van Belle 2013; 
Olszak and Ziemba 2012; Sangar and 
Iahad 2013; Yeoh et al. 2006; Yeoh et al. 
2007; Yeoh and Koronios 2010; Pham et 
al. 2016; Yeoh and Popovič 2016. 

Learning and 
Skills 

- Education and suitable and formal user learning 
- Easy learning solutions 
- In-site education, learning and support 
- Team knowledge and skills 
- Committed experience from the business side 

Chan et al. 2013; Sangar and Iahad 2013; 
Yeoh et al. 2006; Yeoh et al. 2007; Olszak, 
2016. 



 51 
Information 
and Technology 

- Suitable technology and tools 
- Technologies development 
- Evolving development 
- Set a strategic, extensible and upgradable technical 

framework 
- Contents according to the business 
- High data quality and confident sources 
- Sustainability  
- Tests 
- Interaction with other systems 
- Report strategies 
- Date government 
- Data security 
- Effective data management 
- Source data systems 
- Data and information integrity and accuracy 
- Partners for implementation 
- Friendly BI system use 
- Sustainability quantity and quality of data 
- Hardware and software sustainability 
- System confidence, upgradability and flexibility 
- Friendly user-oriented technologies  
- Solutions fit to user expectations 
- Dimensional model of data and metadata 
- Use of a test prototype 
- Source systems stable in site 
- Availability of information department 
- Customization 
- Devices security 
- Authentication 
- Device independency 
- Usability 
- Accessibility 
- Connectivity to networks 
- Flexibility 
- Consistency 
- Re-usability 
- Functionality 
- Support of interactive systems 
- Timely reports 

 

Arnott 2008; Chan et al. 2013; Cidrin and 
Adamala 2011; Hawking and Sellitto 
2010; Olszak and Ziemba 2012; Sangar 
and Iahad 2013; Yeoh et al. 2006; Yeoh et 
al. 2007; Yeoh et al. 2008; Yeoh and 
Koronios 2010; Pham et al. 2016; Yeoh 
and Popovič 2016. 

Resources - Intellectual suitable resources 
- Technological suitable resources 
- Suitable budget 
- Strategic human and financial resources 

 

Arnott 2008; Olszak and Ziemba 2012; 
Yeoh et al. 2006; Yeoh et al. 2007; 
Chasanlow 2009 cited by Salmasi et al. 
2016 

Metrics - Current system use 
- Perceived system utility 
- Net benefits obtained 
- User satisfaction 
- Use intention 
- Service quality 
- System quality 
- Information quality 

 

Nemec 2011; Sangar and Iahad 2013. 

Environment - Organizational culture 
- Solving of non-technical issues 
- Cooperation with BI suppliers based on past experiences 

Cidrin and Adamala 2011; Olszak and 
Ziemba 2012; Sangar and Iahad 2013. 

The project must have a clear link to the 
business, this way it will be economically 
supported in terms of its economic value 
(Arnott 2008). According to Yeoh and Koronios 
(2010), the main cause of BI solutions failure is 
not technological but a poor alignment with the 
business, its vision and objectives. This result 
in the impossibility of satisfying both the 
business and the costumers’ needs and 
objectives.  

2.2.3 Project leader or “champion” 
set up 

This makes reference to a team leader 
appointment, in a few cases it is the same Chief 
Information Officer (CIO) (Table 1). This 
person must have enough technical and 
functional knowledge and at the same time 
he/she must have excellent interpersonal 



 52 
abilities to solve organizational conflicts (Yeoh 
et al. 2006). 

This makes choosing a leader a challenge as 
that person will carry the project baton, and 
foresee organizational challenges and course 
changes on time (Yeoh and Koronios 2010). 
He/she will see the solution from an 
organizational and strategic perspective, not 
only technological. If he/she understands both 
business and technology, he/she could 
translate business requirements in the 
technological architecture and vice versa (Yeoh 
et al. 2007). 

2.2.4 Strategy 
The fixed strategic vision is summarized in the 
results obtained by Yeoh et al. (2007). Their 
findings suggest that a long-term strategy 
results in a continuum improvement at an 
organizational level, and the impact of the 
solution and the expected results depend on its 
understanding (Table 1). Top management 
must be committed and give the needed 
support for project success (Yeoh et al. 2006). 

The project must have a vision of BI as well, 
it must provide needed resources to fulfil it and 
must insist on the use of information at the 
decision making process (Watson and Wixom 
2007). Equally important are the goals or 
objectives. It is a fundamental input to have a 
clear way to which the organizations want to 
reach. It also works to dispose the resources, 
actions, processes and everything needed to 
reach a desired state. Although the company 
may fix it, sometimes there is doubt about their 
use from the employees in their daily 
operations (Popescu 2012). 

2.2.5 Change management 
A change management program is important 
in the sense that it reduces implementation 
resistance and in the way that it favors its 
adoption (Hawking 2013) especially when 
technologies are ongoing, because it is the 
moment in which there are greater possibilities 
for changes to happen (Hobek et al. 2009; 
Fourati-Jamoussi et al. 2016) (Table 1). 

Communication is an important factor for 
the change management. It must appear in the 
project formulation step so employees can 
prepare on their own to receive change (Hobek 
et al. 2009) and for them to know first-hand the 
impact it will have at individual level 
(Hawking 2013). 

2.2.6 Project 
The BI project is one of the most important 
factors, considered to be a key one. The authors 
(Arnott 2008; Hawking and Sellitto 2010; Yeoh 
et al. 2006; Yeoh et al. 2007) claim a marked 
emphasis in the scope is an important issue for 
the success of the BI project. With that, the 
main objective of its formulation, deadlines, 
advances and final results can be achieved, 
framed and aligned with the business purposes 
strategically posted early by the top 
management (Table 1).  

2.2.7 People and human talent 
teams 

Individuals as project members must have 
appropriate experience, knowledge and skills 
(Arnott 2008; Rouhani et al. 2012; Salmasi et 
al. 2016).  

According to interviews made by Yeoh et al. 
(2007), they showed that experts agreed that 
team conformation and the skills of people 
engaged in the project greatly influenced its 
implementation success. It is ideal that 
participant teams are composed of people from 
diverse areas, who have technical expertise 
and a deep business knowledge (Burton et al. 
2006 cited by Yeoh et al. 2007) (Table 1). 

2.2.8 Learning and skills 
It is important that organizations provide 
workers with the skills and knowledge to use 
the BI solutions (McCalister 2012; Arnott 2008; 
Wixom and Watson 2001, cited by Chan et al., 
2013).  

Taking into account that this kind of project 
demands high technical engagement, it must 
dispose a team that gives support and more 
precisely training in order to educate and 
shape everyone about the BI project (Adamala 
and Cidrin 2011; Olszak 2016.) (Table 1). That 
team can be shaped by people supporting both 
the technical and human parties. Based on this 
training it is important that people give 
feedback about their experience since they will 
continue to use the BI solutions (Bălăceanu 
2007; Muntean 2007). 

Learning tools enter here to mediate. They 
must be offered and disposed to acquaint 
people with the new solution environment, 
since human behavior related to decision 
making is not generally aligned with tools 
capacity (Feng et al. 2009). 

2.2.9 Information and technology 
This key success factor is one of the most used 
in BI research, since it is focused on 



 53 
architecture, software and tools development 
and tangible elements whose impact is 
reflected in practice by its operative 
characteristics (Loshin 2013). 

According to Yeoh et al. (2007) the first step 
is to do a requirements analysis whereby a 
solution can secure  the shape of organizational 
conditions over the time.  

As second step that analysis must conclude 
in a match between organizational needs and 
their alignment in the company’s strategic 
framework whereby it fulfills the proposed 
objectives and posted vision (Knoben and 
Oerlemans 2006). 

A third step is related to information 
management, established sources and 
articulation of needed means, for instance 
strategic and tactical integration with other 
tools like BPM (Business Process 
Management), which offers innovative 
solutions to decision making (Linden et al. 
2011), policies for processing and processing 
information. Not estimating the magnitude of 
unsolved information problems generally 
resonates in a project failure (Rosado and Rico 
2010).  

Choosing a solution is the last step; it should 
be matched to the organization’s needs (Arnott 
2008). It must require a detailed plan 
formulation. If the organization is supported 
only by tools without a plan, purchasing 
solutions will become a distraction to the 
proposed goals (Loshin 2013) (Table 1). 

2.2.10 Resources 
Generally, this factor is seen from a clearly 
economic view, mainly for the top management 
which assess this kind of project through cost-
benefit relations. While it is not a mistake, is 
clear that intellectual, economic and physical 
factors have equal weight within a BI project 
since suitable handling and engaged 
management are key to real and verifiable 
benefits (Hobek et al. 2009; Yeoh et al. 2007) 
(Table 1). 

2.2.11 Metrics 
Metrics are always important to know projects 
results and in this case, it is not an exception. 
Following the research proposal of Nemec 
(2011) based on a literature review focused on 
DeLone y McLean studies, dimensions posted 
by these authors in their information systems 
success model can be seen as key factors when 
a BI project is assessed (Table 1). 

Nemec (2011) formulates issues like 
benefits, utility, quality and satisfaction, which 
are perceived by users as influencing elements 
in a BI solution’s success. It will result in 
relevant information about acceptance and real 
use that could be obtained by the project.  

2.2.12 Environment 
Organizations that do not have information to 
process, need information systems that can 
improve that situation and give them a better 
understanding about environment forces, with 
which they can improve their performance by 
producing and using useful information 
(Sangar and Iahad 2013). 

Based on results from a big survey, Watson 
and Haley 1997 (cited by Yeoh et al. 2008), 
stated that critical factors for BI project success 
are organizational by nature. With a key 
success factor framework, engaged 
stakeholders can identify those necessary 
elements to improve efficacy and efficiency of 
planning and implementation activities, 
understanding the background, which is 
conducive to BI project implementation to 
success (Yeoh et al. 2008) (Table 1). 

3. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY  
The methodology used is the multi-methology 
proposed by Mingers (2006), which follows the 
phases: appreciation, where document search 
is conducted through a literature review; 
analysis, where hypothetical structures related 
with the key success factors are proposed; 
assessment, where key success factors are 
assessed along with experts; and action, where 
research result discussion is shown. 

3.1 Literature review 
Bibliography and references search were 
conducted in: Scopus and Web of Science and in 
a small amount in Google Scholar. Indexed 
journal articles, conference proceedings, book 
sections and corporate reports on BI were 
collected. It was conducted by equations 
restricted to databases: EBSCOHost (Business 
Source Complete and Academic Source 
Complete), Jstor, Emerald, IEEE, Science 
Direct, Springer Journal, Springer Books and 
Taylor & Francys. Once documents were 
obtained, a detailed check of abstracts and 
keywords was done to corroborate the 
material’s relevance to the research. Table 2 
shows the process outcomes. A total of 12 
documents that explicitly treat the topic key 
success factors on BI solutions were found.  

 



 54 
 
Table 2 Search and document outcomes. Table shows the equations used to retrieve important information to gather documents 
on the topic: “key success factors” in business intelligence which were applied to the database search. 

Search equations 
((Critical (or) (+) key (or) (+) csf (or) (+) ksf) and (success (or) (+) factors (or) (+) success factors) and (information 
systems (or) (+) business intelligence (or) (+) competitive intelligence (or) (+) information (or) (+) bi (or) (+) ci 
(or) (+) it)) 

Documents finally worked 
Academic Corporate Total 

11 1 12 

 

3.1.1 Document codification 
According to Serbia (2007), a topics analysis 
was conducted. By using the NVIVO10 
software, it was structured as: a primary node 
with the topic Key Success Factors on BI and 
twelve secondary nodes, ten of which are 
matched with the referred authors. Similarly, 
twelve tertiary nodes that represent the main 
identified factors according to a systematic 
literature review on this topic were formulated. 
This structure was established taking as 

reference the topics analysis conducted by 
Fernández Núñez (2006), referring to free text 
analysis through Key Words in Context 
(KWIC) to proceed to codify the contents on 
those nodes.  

Next, this node structure is presented 
(Figure 1). The discontinuous line refers to 
contributions and its complement of author 
and exposed factors. 

3.2 Information collecting 
Interviews of seven experts in the field who 
have participated in research or 

Figure 1 Node classification of key success factors on BI articles. This shows the node structure that is presented for the topic “key 
success factors on BI”. The discontinuous line refers to contributions and its complementarity of each author to every exposed factor. 



 55 
implementation of BI solutions were conducted 
(Table 3). According to Morse (1994) and Kuzel 
(1992) cited in Guest et al. (2006), a suitable 
number of interviewed participants in a 
qualitative study ranged from 6 to 8 people. 
Other studies (Fairer-Wessels and Malherbe, 
2012; Fusch and Ness 2015; Mason 2010) 
argued that despite not having an ideal 
number of participants, saturation of 
information is a good stop index.  

Each interview was made up of 30 questions 
(Appendix 1), two general questions to begin 
and end with a closer and conclusive 
conversation and 28 more focused on key 
success factors identified on literature that was 
exposed early on. 

Based on the application, interviews 
duration ranged from 35 minutes to 82 
minutes. Six were conducted in person and one 
on Skype. 

 
Table 3 Experts participating in the study. This summarizes the main information about the experts who participated in the 
research. It contains basic information like degrees and practical and academic experience. Note: The distribution number is 
based on the order in which experts were interviewed, so this is not an important or significant factor in this research. 

No. Position Education Experience Means 
1 Director 

Information 
Technologies and 
Communications 
DNTIC - UN 

Systems Engineer 
and Master in 
Systems Engineering 

He has worked in the BI solutions industry for more than 
25 years, 10 of which he worked as businessman and 
partner of a firm with which BI projects were designed and 
implemented in Colombia and Central America. He has 
been consultant and lecturer (outliner) in BI graduate 
courses. 
 

Personal 

2 Professor 
National 
University of 
Colombia 

Mechanical Engineer, 
Telecommunications 
Engineering 
Specialist and Master 
in Systems 
Engineering. 

20 years of experience in BI. He has worked with companies 
like Latino BI with the product Cognos in both, academic 
and industrial fields. He teaches BI subjects and works 
jointly with BI vendors like IBM and Oracle, developing 
events of presentation of solutions and consultancy by those 
vendors in the university. 
 

Personal 

3 Professor 
Konrad Lorenz 
University 

Economist, Statistical 
Specialist, Master in 
Administration and 
PhD in Industry and 
Organizations  
 

BI analyst for ‘Casa Editorial El Tiempo’. Also, BI and 
marketing research Director in the ‘New Means and 
Transactional Portals Unit’ in the same organization, BI 
consultant and professor.  

Personal 

4 Professor 
University of the 
Andes 

Systems Engineer, 
Master in Systems 
Engineering and PhD 
in Informatics 

More than 20 years of experience in BI topics, data 
warehouses, physical designs and ETL in different sectors. 
She has served as project intervener, consultant, adviser 
and professor mainly in subjects like BI and business 
analytics.  
 

Personal 

5 BI Manager 
Philips Mexicana 

Business 
Administrator, 
Marketing Specialist 
and Master in 
Multinational 
Administration 

She has worked in the BI field since 2011 in worldwide 
companies like Jhonson & Jhonson and Philips Mexicana in 
data analysis as specialist and manager. She jointly works 
data analysis and financial analysis topics. 

Skype 

6 Senior 
Analytics 
Architect - 
Cross Unit 
IBM Colombia - 
S&D 

Systems Engineer 
and Master in 
Systems Engineering 

Latino BI partner jointly with Cognos Corporation and 
Procalidad, working on BI projects for companies in 
Colombia. Cognos Partner for Spanish companies. He 
worked with Cognos Corporation developing projects in 
Latin America. Since 2008 he served as Specialist and 
Architect in BI solutions, statistical and predictive 
solutions, operative and financial risk solutions and fraud 
solutions at IBM. 
 

Personal 

7 Business 
Intelligence 
Project 
Director 
On Data S.A. 

Systems Engineer, 
emphasis in 
organizational 
information systems. 
Certificate in 
Management of 
information systems  

She has served in BPM and BI as well as software quality 
insurance. Software quality Leader and BI Project Director 
for On Data. She focuses in planning, development and 
implementation of BI solutions for important companies 
both national and international located in Colombia in 
different sectors. 

Personal 



 56 
 

3.3 Information analysis 
Interview processing was done with the 
NVIVO10 software based on a word frequency 
query applied to the seven documents of the 
interviews. It was a primary landscape of 
terms and keywords that were important in 
context, which were coincident with the early 
identified factors in the literature on key 
success factors in BI. With those terms a node 
structure was generated to classify and group 
information obtained from interviews. Table 4 
shows the node classification and 
denomination that was used in the interviews 
processing. 
 
Table 4 Node classification to interviews analysis. This 
shows the node classification and denomination that was 
used to the interviews processing with the NVIVO software. 

Name Resources References 
1. Directives and Top 
Management 

7 20 

2. Business Linking 7 25 
Organizational    
Structure 

7 12 

Central control entity 5 7 
3. Project Leader or  
    “Champion” set up 

7 24 

4. Business Strategy 7 13 
5. Change management 7 17 
6. BI Project deployment 7 25 

Requests 4 6 
7. People and Human 
Talent Teams 

7 22 

People 7 14 
Trust 5 9 
Collaboration 2 8 
Communication 5 8 
Coordination 4 5 
Engagement 3 4 
Cooperation 3 4 

8. Learning and Skills 7 33 
9. Information and 
Technologies 

7 45 

10. Resources 7 35 
Economic 7 9 
Intellectual 7 9 
Technological 7 17 

11. Metrics 2 2 
12. Environment 3 7 
Argumentations 6 19 

 
Table 4 shows the number of resources that 

were linked to the codification, which range 
from 0 (when no resources allude to each factor) 
to 7 (the maximum number of documents of 
experts interviewed). Likewise, it shows the 

number of references (codifications) made for 
each considered node. Almost all of the factors 
achieve the maximum number of resources, 
which means that most factors were treated by 
the experts in the interviews. 

After identifying the primary and secondary 
nodes based on interviews, one-by-one-factor 
analysis was made. Pieces of interviews were 
taken to support the exposed ideas and 
outcomes as well as a text matrix summarizing 
the experts’ arguments that support the 
outcomes. 

According to the gathered information from 
the experts, a general structure which 
characterizes success factors in BI solutions in 
organizational environments was posted 
(research results). This structure is aligned 
and matches with the reviewed literature and 
is a product of a detailed content analysis of 
conducted interviews with the NVIVO10 
software. 

3.4 Proposition of hypothetical 
explicative structures to study 
the phenomenon 

According to the identified factors from the 
literature, a single applicable hypothetical 
structure was formulated for each factor: 
 

HS0: The identified factor does not affect the 
BI solution’s success 

 
HS1: The identified factor affects the BI 
solution’s success 
 

4. RESEARCH RESULTS 
From the topics analysis of conducted 
interviews, results show that twelve pieces of 
literature identified factors that are consistent 
with experts’ perceptions about BI solutions 
success, adding the Professional Networks 
factor according its importance to the experts. 
Figure 2 shows the obtained results. 

Figure 2 shows the importance of every 
factor to the experts based on keywords 
attributed to each one, depending on the 
context in which each keyword was used by the 
experts. It should be noted that for this 
analysis 25% of the interviewees’ transcript in 
the interviewed documents was used. Words or 
elements with less importance (which did not 
have a strong enough consistence to constitute 
an independent factor) according to this 



 57 

analysis, were classified within the thirteen 
posted factors. 

The next part focuses on presenting detailed 
research results after making an analysis of 
content based on the codification. Table 5 
summarizes some of the experts’ arguments 
taken from the documents of the interviews in 
support of the affirmations. 
4.1 Directives and top management 

success factors 
According to the experts there are four 
important characteristics around this factor. 
As a first step, making a decision about 
developing a project or implementing a solution 
is a top management affair: a manager, an 
owner, a steering committee or, by default, a 
third party with influence at the managerial 
level. All this leaves aside suppositions that the 
decision is made by organizational technology 
areas, as is commented on by the experts. 

A second step is the deep knowledge about 
the request. A manager or top management 
executive of an organization is who decides 
what he/she needs. Although it could lead to 
misrepresentations and, sometimes, to 
incorrect BI project conceptions and 
developments due to the power or the political 

position these people may have within 
organizations, bad decisions could be made 
with expensive and useless projects, and may 
also discard more useful and viable projects 
because of individual decisions. 

The third characteristic is the existence of a 
sponsor who is going to authorize and fund the 
idea of developing a BI project in an 
organization. The future of this kind of 
solutions depends on the top management’s 
credibility since they will provide resources 
(mainly financial) and will sponsor efforts to 
achieve their objectives and goals. 

Finally, handling of power and politics plays 
a fundamental role. It is evident that when 
experts say that these are projects focused on 
the top management, which is political by 
nature, forces that go beyond single decisions, 
requests and social relations are played. For 
instance, there are deep-root personal interests 
when there is a pursuit for personal favoring or 
figuration. In spite of that, it may be a positive 
point since it helps to analyze engaged actors 
in the project, and by this way to determine the 
best way to reach them, taking into account 
that there will always be detractors and 
followers with different levels of power and 
influence.  

1043

848

607

481

454

301

188

160

127

109

95

68

61

BI Project deployment

People and Human talent teams

Information and Technologies

Business linking

Learning and Skills

Environment

Resources

Directives and Top Management

Project Leader or “Champion” set up

Metrics

Business strategy

Professional networks

Change management

Frecuence in interviews (allued to factor)

K
e
y
 s

u
cc

e
ss

 f
a
ct

o
r

Figure 2 Importance degree of key success factors of BI solutions. shows the importance of the thirteen identified factors to 
the experts based on keywords attributed to each one, depending on the context in which each keyword was used by the 
experts. 



 58 
Table 5 Expert’s arguments regarding to identified factors. This summarizes some of the expert’s arguments taken from the 
documents of the interviews as support of the affirmations made within the article. 

Validated 
factor 

Contributions by Expert 
E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 

Directives 
and top 
mgmt 

It has got to 
have the top 
management’s 
credibility and 
sponsorship or 
neither buy nor 
install. 

(...) directive is 
who says what 
he/she needs. 
Simple! Put 
the request 

[Projects] 
sometimes it 
depends a lot 
on directive’s 
strength 

If they are not 
convinced of 
benefits, it has 
little success 
probabilities 

You Have to 
buy the idea 
100%. If the 
initiative does 
not emerge from 
them, you 
should get a 
good sponsor 
with good 
influence 

Nowadays 
there is not BI 
initiative if it 
does not come 
from a 
directive or VP 

Manager 
contact us, we 
make him an 
offer and he is 
who say if 
products are 
bought or not 

Business 
linking 

[Important] is 
what concerns 
with indexes, 
objectives, goals 
and monitoring. 
It is the 
opportunity to 
accompany the 
business. 

Enterprise 
structure is 
determinant 
especially for 
functions and 
responsibilities  

The System 
must adapt to 
the 
organization 
as well as the 
organization 
to the system 

(…) You start 
by 
understanding 
the sector in 
which the 
enterprise is 
into.  You 
Understand 
the business 
and then 
needs and 
opportunities 

You need to 
know what 
works, what 
doesn’t work, 
and what you 
want to 
improve. 

You have to 
define a 
strategy, 
where it goes 
to, what you 
want to get 
and how, how 
much you 
want to bet 
and what will 
be the earning.  

You cannot 
implement 
anything if 
you do not 
know the 
business and 
customer’s 
needs. 

Project 
Leader or 
“Champion” 
set up 

Generally all 
projects need a 
manager, 
particularly in 
informatics 
projects 

Projects 
managers or 
project leaders 
have a 
different scope 
depending on 
their self-
organization 

This is a 
person who 
have to 
survive 
between daily 
fires and 
technological 
stream 
adoption 

It is required, 
you have to 
have a specific 
leader there. 

It is mandatory 
needed. 

He/she Must 
be from the 
start, and, 
generally, it 
does not work 
with a single 
person, but 
with several 
leaders 

It is a role 
which is 
totally 
indispensable 

Business 
strategy 

Implementation 
supports 
strategy 

If I fix a 
strategy, I 
have to carry it 
out. It is just 
what makes a 
manager or a 
leader. 

To the extent 
that the 
environment 
changes, 
strategy 
changes 

It is necessary 
to know what 
the business 
strategy is, 
weaknesses 
and strengths 
[to know] 
where it goes 
to 

Everything 
have to be 
routed to 
strategy 

This project 
does not exist 
if there is not 
data, people, 
technologies 
and business 
strategy. 

Who buy our 
products and 
services are 
not IT areas 
but strategy 
and decision 
making areas. 

Change 
mgmt 

In any project 
and generally 
an informatics 
project, change 
management is 
needed 

Sometimes 
changes are 
due to a 
greater control 
and it does not 
like to people 

I think there 
is a change 
resistance 
given more in 
a group than 
at individual 
level. 

First I need to 
start 
evangelizing 
people 
regarding to 
what this is. 

It is the main 
barrier, as I 
told you. 

Human 
resources are 
needed to 
operate all this 
kind of 
solutions and 
an important 
process of 
change 
management 
is needed as 
well. 

We are in a 
great 
paradigm 
shift which is 
to leave the 
Power Point to 
use Tableau 

BI Project 
deployment 

All informatics 
project needs 
planning. 

(…) with that 
you can fix 
needed tasks, 
schedules and 
resources.  

It implies a 
process 
organization, 
planning, 
collection, 
control and 
infrastructur
e to generate 
data. 

There is a 
follow-up, 
from business 
and the 
technical side. 
Posing how to 
conceive and 
how to 
implement. 

From the 
beginning you 
need to know 
what you are 
looking for. 

We assemble 
role pyramids: 
manager, 
technical 
leader, 
functional 
leader, 
solutions 
architect and 
consultants.  

This kind of 
projects does 
not have 
neither a 
beginning nor 
an end, has a 
continuity.  

People and 
Human 
talent 
teams 

People who 
belong to a 
functional area 
are going to be 
engaged within 
the solution. 

A single 
person cannot 
make 
everything, but 
the whole team 
can know 
about all of 
them who are 
needed. 

A topic that 
is important 
for me is the 
forces’ 
organization 
or work 
teams around 
this kind of 
projects. 

He/she might 
not have the 
experience but 
he/she may 
know where 
people who 
have it are, 
and it helps 
the project to 
be more 
effective. 
 
 

If you have well 
assembled a 
team than can 
implement and 
execute, they 
really could 
work better or 
worse with one 
or another 
technology. 

[they are] vital 
because if not, 
project tend to 
fail 

Team support 
makes valid 
why I am the 
projects’ 
director, for 
instance. 

Learning 
and Skills 

In BI solutions 
value creation is 

You need to 
train people 

Learning is 
given at the 

In the extent 
they 

Technologies 
help you and 

It is necessary 
to start doing 

Agreements 
are 



 59 

Validated 
factor 

Contributions by Expert 
E1 E2 E3 E4 E5 E6 E7 
so evident, it 
makes all 
people get 
engaged. 

and remove 
their fear to 
the obstacles. 

slowest 
person pace, 
this to avoid 
barriers in 
the process. 

understand, 
information is 
obtained and 
a set of 
requests is 
collectively 
built. 

facilitate 
learning. 

knowledge 
transfer 
works. 

fundamental. 
Training, 
consultancy. 

Information 
and 
technology 

Solutions are 
not expensive 
per se, They 
must be seen in 
a cost-benefit 
way. Solution 
choosing 
depends on cost-
benefit relation. 

By using 
technology you 
can do 
whatever you 
want, good 
and bad, It 
depends on 
how you look 
at this. 
Technology is 
able to make a 
lot of things, 
even 
imaginable 
things. 

You have to 
change 
perspective 
about “this” 
is only 
technology 
nor just to 
buy a 
software, a 
hardware or 
to make a 
databases, 
etc. 

I think that we 
are still in the 
first maturity 
levels in the 
adequate 
information 
treatment. 

I think that 
tools are as 
good as 
information you 
enter, so you 
have to start 
with that. 

There is a lot 
of information. 
It depends on 
what it is 
needed to the 
project and the 
working area. 

Obviously 
there is a 
strong 
relationship, 
but there is no 
conditionality, 
that is to say, 
you do not 
depend on any 
technology to 
make 
anything. 

Prof 
networks 

Value creation 
is so evident, it 
makes all 
people get 
engaged. 

It is so 
important that 
now all what 
is about 
networks, it is 
an input. Here 
I talk about 
professional 
and social 
networks. 

External 
consultants 
and 
competence 
are the most 
important 
actors in that 
network. 

The more you 
go expanding 
your circle, the 
more you 
enrich your 
learning.  

It helps you a 
lot if you are 
leading a 
project. You 
receive opinions 
about how to 
implement or 
how to carry 
out the systems. 

I look 
internally to 
see who has 
the skills to do 
it. Or 
externally, and 
see how 
experienced 
they are. That 
is how my 
network gets 
bigger. 

Network is 
outsize and 
united, and I 
think it is 
valuable to 
know about 
what the 
others are 
doing. 

Resources To acquire a 
solution, a cost-
benefit analysis 
must be done, it 
implies 
resources. 

It must be 
allocated since 
the project 
planning 
stage. 

There Must 
be people 
with 
intellectual 
capacities. 

Online social 
networks are 
an important 
resource. 

If I would have 
to decide, I 
would choose 
intellectual 
resources. I 
greatly 
appreciate 
technologies but 
they are just 
tools. 

Solutions 
must be 
upgradable in 
all senses.  

There Must be 
agreements 
with suppliers. 

Metrics Indexes allow to 
measure goals 
achievement, 
these allow to 
measure 
objectives 
achievement 
and objectives 
allow to make 
strategies.   

When I have a 
decision, I do 
not think 
about what my 
heart feelings 
and my 
experience say, 
but I have a 
support on 
some 
indicators. 

The project 
must have 
clarity about 
what results 
it targets and 
what are its 
KPI and its 
performance 
indicators. 

One of the 
problems from 
the technical 
side is that 
you get 
indicators and 
deliver that, 
but, Does it 
have any 
sense? 

You can 
measure all of 
your KPI with 
one or another 
tool. It 
facilitates your 
life and makes 
it fast. 

I must take 
into account 
those 
indicators to 
which I want 
to reach and 
how I get it. 

To be 
perceptive 
about what 
you have to 
sell: What 
generates 
value. Which 
indicator you 
can set. Why 
do not to 
formulate a 
metric?  

Environ-
ment 

- Now there is a 
globalized 
world because 
the sources, 
the sizes, the 
ways to work 
and the 
approaches are 
different. 
Paradigms 
have changed. 
Then notice 
that is not only 
that but all the 
environment. 

The Project 
must not 
change if 
environment 
changes. 

If you do not 
take into 
account 
organizational 
culture when 
you design a 
project like 
this, it could 
be a problem 
or a critical 
success factor 
of your project. 

- - Value chain 
has to be 
transversal, it 
must have an 
amazing 
synergic to get 
this really 
arisen. 

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 



 60 
4.2 Business linking success factors 
Business linking is the starting point of any BI 
project. There is a consensus among several 
experts around the first-hand knowledge of the 
kind of business or organization and, derived 
from that, the sector in which it operates, 
activities developed by organization and, in 
itself, its position in economy. Furthermore, 
addressing business strategy becomes the 
second essential element in this factor since it 
represents the mission, vision, strategies, 
objectives, needs and, generally, all issues than 
have led the organization to think about a BI 
solution. Based on that, further actions can be 
determined in order to make a more optimal 
and efficient project. 

This factor is the roadmap to project 
development since it sets a frame to follow 
according to the collected information that 
characterizes conditions in which an 
organization operates both internally and 
externally. Thus, subsequent actions can be 
stated to achieve results and fulfil the initially 
posted goals which justify the BI project 
development. 

4.3 Project leader or “champion” set 
up success factor 

It is vitally important to establish the project 
leader role. As experts stated, it is not reduced 
to a person but a position regardless of its 
denomination. They also emphasize the 
strategic importance that this role has within 
the project development.  

This person is integral at technical, 
operative and personal levels. They must 
always be at the knowledge vanguard in favor 
of the BI project, and guiding all participant 
members according to that acquired knowledge 
and experience, not only technically but 
professionally and personally. 

He/she must be influential in order to 
persuade other people of the benefits and the 
individual role within the project. Equally, 
he/she must be strategist at forming teams and 
groups in such a way that he/she exploits 
individual and group capacities for the common 
benefit. 

He/she must be a person with values, 
always transparent to avoid influences from 
the top management or the operative side, 
understanding each one. This person will be in 
charge of negotiations among the parties 
involved, both internally and externally, 
dealing with problems and situations derived 
from the development and execution of the 
project. 

This person must match efforts through 
technological, intellectual and personal 
resources coordination, exploiting individual 
capacities, serving as a central project axis and 
propending for centralization of activities and 
delegating responsibilities to all participants. 

4.4 Business strategy success factors 
As a first step, business strategy works to align 
input between project development and its 
proposed objectives and its implementation. As 
Expert 5 says “all has to be routed to the 
strategy. That is why it also has to be aligned 
with the top management, it will be the primary 
line”. 

What is the importance of business strategy 
for a BI project? In the words of Expert 6 “any 
process and in this case a BI process, it is part 
of a strategy. The first thing to define is: what 
is going to be the strategy? What do you want 
and where do you want to go to? What are the 
goals and objectives you want to achieve? That 
is the first thing you have to establish. Then you 
define a plan: how can you achieve that?” It 
indicates what works as a support factor for the 
organizational processes. 

In relation to the above, Expert 4 states that 
“it is required to know what the strategy of the 
business is, weaknesses and strengths to know 
where it is oriented” It summarizes that the 
business strategy factor works as a diagnosis 
tool, allowing one to know what the initial 
situation is without BI project, and what the 
desired state to reach with the project is. 

Business strategy is not static. Thus, it is 
also presented with a factor of dynamism. 
According to the experts “There must be clarity 
that strategy is normally emergent” and it is 
dependent from the organizational 
environment, “to the extent in which the 
environment changes, strategy changes” 
otherwise the expected results could not 
possibly be achieved” states Expert 3. 

It is evident that business strategy becomes 
a guide and at the same time a driving force 
that promotes the planning and 
implementation of a BI project, specifically its 
execution since the project will match the 
initial requests posted by the top management 
and the other people engaged. 

4.5 Change management success 
factors 

It is a linked factor to the organization’s culture 
in which the BI project will be developed. 
According to Expert 1 “there should be an early 
and simultaneous preparation. In any project, 



 61 
generally an informatics project, change 
management is needed. More in business 
intelligence. You need it as a key success factor 
to technology implementation” 

Fear of change, as in any daily life situation, 
is present in this kind of project. Linked to that, 
the perception of BI tools in the project as a 
means of control, makes users and affected 
people in general take negative attitudes 
towards the BI initiative. Added to that, 
reactivity to carry out new processes and 
change the ones that exist, along with people’s 
perceptions about being replaced by technical 
tools, reaffirms negative perceptions regarding 
actions in the BI project. 

Although the above is not positive for the 
project, positive perceptions are also found at 
the moment of managing the change. 
According to the Experts’ opinions, to innovate 
with a BI project in an organization allows the 
organizations to optimize processes that were 
tedious before, improving developed activities 
and achieving better results. 

Likewise, there is the perception of 
specialization, which gives the person an image 
opposite to which he/she can form based on the 
established organizational culture, receiving 
benefits and learning new ways to perform the 
same processes. 
4.6 BI project deployment success 

factors 
According to the interviews with experts, the 
word Project holds the first use-frequency place 
(number of times it is repeated within the 
texts) by experts interviewed. It is no wonder, 
since it is the most important part of a BI 
solution. It includes in detail all issues, from 
the beginning to the end, being the center of all 
activities. 

Consistent with the experts, the first step to 
follow must be evangelization and engagement 
of all of the actors who are going to be 
immersed in the project. In order to make them 
participate in its development, one must take 
them into account and show them the 
importance that it is going to represent to both 
their individual work and the organizational 
processes. This is achieved by training, 
meetings and constant and accurate 
information exchange. 

At a general level, the BI project must start 
by setting its scope, thus, the relevant actions 
to formulate the project in detail should be set. 
That scope must obey the already set business 
requests mentioned, which indicate the need 

and relevance of formulating a BI solution, 
taking into account the expected goals. 

Once those elements have been established, 
next one must undertake the project planning, 
which will determine in detail the schedules, 
tasks, and necessary resources (economic, 
intellectual and temporary) as well as business 
processes that will be engaged to achieve the 
goals established. Equally important is the 
responsibilities and role distribution for the 
process development. 

Within these business processes, experts 
ensure that is important to detail issues such 
as: planning, and data collection, structuring, 
control and quality, as well as infrastructure, 
feedback and environment adaptation, 
continuity of activities and their follow-up. The 
latter is very important since it must be seen 
from three different points of view: business, 
technical and analytical, always guaranteeing 
business continuity. 

4.7 People and human talent team 
success factors 

Although social relations present difficulties 
due to their dependence on emotional, cultural 
and personal factors, among others, BI 
solutions are developed in environments where 
everyone has their role, responsibilities and an 
awareness of being part of a team that aims to 
achieve the agreed objectives. 

The work team and the experience that 
members acquire are essential elements when 
developing a BI project. Based on this, the 
knowledge building, meanings and experiences 
that will benefit both individuals and 
organizations are important. Similarly, it is 
shown that the work team and its composition 
are mediated by six characteristics that could 
grow or limit its performance and development: 
collaboration, engagement, communication, 
trust, cooperation and coordination. 

Collaboration is the first characteristic. 
According to Expert 6, along with coordination, 
“[They are] vital because the project could tend 
to fail”, it must be immersed within the project 
from the conception because “[within] the plan 
there must be all details of collaboration 
strategy in different fronts” in order to know 
where you want to go with that collaborative 
work, and who must participate.  

The second characteristic is engagement. 
According to Expert 2, “engagement [must be] 
formal, formalized engagement works well 
because when it does not, it ends badly. [It] is 
the first thing to be workable, to have engaged 
people. When people are engaged, they will 



 62 
surely be responsible” but that is not so easy in 
practice because “engagement is usually too low 
since we are hunters of opportunities and to the 
extent in which we find a better one, we will go 
behind it” stated Expert 3. 

Communication appears in the third place. 
It “has to be open” said Expert 6. According to 
Expert 5, everything that happens, regardless 
of the kind of information, must be 
communicated. “(…) it is conveyed alike, if there 
is a day I do not inform people, small or big 
things, they work well or not” problems could 
appear, so “[it] must be as transparent as 
possible”. 

Trust is the fourth characteristic. As Expert 
4 states, “is an essential element”, also for 
Expert 5 who comments that “it is 
indispensable and it must be totally 
transparent in order to achieve integration of 
all engaged people in your project”. As Expert 6 
states “trust has to be vital, because everything 
that will be implement from the BI point of view 
is to improve the business”. 

The fifth place, and not the least important, 
is cooperation, which is essential because of the 
interdisciplinary nature of BI projects. As an 
Expert states “if we do not cooperate between 
business, technical and analytic parties, it will 
be a failure” which is shared by another Expert 
who states that “cooperation is important 
because these kinds of solutions or systems are 
naturally made for several working teams, they 
are not made for a single person”. Indeed, 
cooperative work ends up being synergic by 
nature. 

Finally, coordination is the last 
characteristic. This one “goes hand in hand 
with activities and responsibilities of each one 
and how I coordinate myself, with my pairs, my 
partners, to achieve the common goal, what is 
expected from all of these implementations” 
states Expert 6. It is “one of the needed skills 
for a person who wants to be on BI” remarks 
Expert 5. 

Besides those elements and characteristics 
that are present in the teamwork, there are 
other cross constructs in group activities which 
are essential to the job. Those are: 
involvement, empowering and participation 
which depend on organization of individuals. 

4.8 Learning and skills success 
factors 

Learning processes, according to experts, are 
generated at several levels. First, at a macro 
level, in which there is a conception of value 
generation for collective learning. Thereupon, 

there is a meso level, which is referred to as the 
existing relationship with external agents who 
foster learning through practices and 
knowledge that are initially foreign to the 
organization. Finally, there is a micro level, 
which involves technology as a tool or a way to 
learn and apprehend knowledge in a suitable 
environment. That environment counts on 
issues such as the individual insertion within 
the project, involvement, constant 
communication, a continuing information flow 
to get feedback and improvement, and a 
practice and operation stage that will work as 
a foundation to gain knowledge and then create 
new knowledge. 

To promote that learning, an individual 
must possess certain types of skills, which 
make him/her liable to get and generate a 
specialized knowledge within a BI project. Both 
technical and non-technical skills shape the set 
that will give a result of specialized knowledge 
and learning in the field. According to Expert 3 
“people’s skills in all levels are very 
heterogeneous” and likewise “they will depend 
on the role that individuals have within the 
project” states Expert 6. 

In agreement with what the experts say at 
a general level, it is important to have technical 
and non-technical skills that carry them to be 
“people with a lot of negotiation skills, they 
must know how to listen to the internal client’s 
needs and have an open attitude, they have to 
be very analytic people that solve conflicts” 
affirm Expert 5. Concordant with that, they 
must “learn and apprehend” and “develop the 
ability of questioning, this for them to talk the 
same business language” state Experts 3 and 4. 

On the other hand, it is necessary to have 
certain technical skills “which are related to 
structuring and designing a project of this 
nature. That is done by specialized people in 
BI”. According to Expert 1’s opinion. “If the part 
of models is worked, analytic models, statistical 
models, [there] must be a person who has this 
skill, this knowledge; a person who does not 
know about it cannot be there” concludes 
Expert 6. 

According to Expert 4 it can be summarized 
in professional and cross skills, which allow 
one to understand a business situation, give a 
suitable use and interpretation, and thus “[be] 
able to carry this business request to a specific 
technical request.” 



 63 
4.9 Information and technologies 

success factors 
One of the essential inputs of BI solutions is 
information. According to the experts, it is 
more important than technologies because it 
could take the second or even third place when 
it is about seeing the importance of the 
component of the solutions. 

Although data and information that could 
be generated are abundant, experts agree that 
information depends on the kind of project to 
be handled, for instance, financial projects, 
marketing projects, or human resources 
projects. With that, the kind of structure and 
design needed for its development can be 
established. 

To have access to that information, the first 
thing is to conceive the study and design access 
roles. Not all users have the right to access to 
the same information and equally it must be 
ensured that the information they can access is 
pertinent to his/her task development. It 
happens to both internal information and 
external information coming from suppliers, 
customers and all related stakeholders. 

However, to discern, use, analyze and get 
meaning from the information obtained, an 
operation by using technologies is needed. 
Those depend on the project scope, size of the 
organization, purposes, available resources 
and all elements analyzed above in the success 
factor of the BI project’s development. 
According to the experts, technology does not 
take a privileged place when thinking of a BI 
solution because it is only a tool that gives 
options and facilitates the development of 
actions that could not be done without it. 

In the words of one of the interviewed 
experts, there is a “very strong relation, but 
there is not conditionality, that is to say, it does 
not depend on any technology to do anything. 
Not even on the use of Excel [since] you can do 
an analysis generated by the experience, an 
industry analysis [for instance] with the simple 
fact of knowing how many new clients came”. It 
is concordant with the opinion of a second 
expert who says “they are marvelous but 
sometimes are overvalued, I can tell you that 
there are BI projects that perfectly work with 
Excel”. 

According to Expert 6 “whether it is wanted 
or not, technologies are important. (…) those 
tools exist for any reason, they are made for a 
different type of requirement”. Those tools 
“must possess both functional and non-
functional characteristics”. They must be also 
intuitive, friendly and accessible, as much as 

possible, always thinking about the users. As 
Expert 1 states, maybe the most important 
issue of those technologies must be their 
usability, since “it must be addressed to final 
user, not to the informatics technicians”. 
Likewise “they are made to be a tool for the 
functional areas, not only for technicians’ use, 
it is not a tool for the informatics area, but from 
this area tools are enabled to be used by final 
users”. 

Technologies in BI solutions must work as 
learning tools in order to improve skills and 
facilitate issues such as communication, 
relationship consolidation and the 
strengthening of organizational processes. 
They should be used as complementary tools, 
generating timely advantages, even when it is 
only a supporting tool. This must be done 
without omitting key issues such as security 
and the collaboration developed jointly with 
new information technologies. 

It must be taken into account that 
technology, regardless of it costs, brand or 
reputation, must obey a need and must work 
under a cost-benefit logic, regarding the 
organization’s needs. “Tools are as good as 
information you enter, that’s where all should 
start” states Expert 5. “Its investment will 
depend on its future return” argues Expert 1. 
4.10 Professional networks success 

factors 
Despite the fact that “Professional Networks” 
is not one of the most used terms in the experts’ 
speeches, it is also one of the key success 
factors for BI solutions as it could be observed. 
This is based on statements made by the six 
interviewed experts, who agreed that the fact 
of belonging or keeping up with what happens 
in professional networks, more exactly about 
BI topics, potentiates some faculties for 
professional and personal development in 
order to get more successful BI projects and 
solutions. 

According to the collected information, six 
features that characterizes professional 
networks as BI key success factor could be 
observed. First they work as input sources for 
the project development because they find 
information from third parties, which could 
complement specific project developments, 
according to their characteristics and past 
experiences. 

As a second step, an element to overcome 
obstacles is used, allowing one to beat possible 
personal and organizational barriers presented 
during the development of this kind of project. 



 64 
Linked to the above and with a remarkable 
importance, it works as a synergy source, 
meeting and centralizing the resources 
available in the network to the project benefit. 
This, taking into account that complementary 
visions could be reached, and concepts, roles, 
experiences and resources, among others, could 
be shared. 

An enrichment source is the fourth feature, 
having access to information and resources 
which allow a continuing learning and 
updating, based on interactions with third 
parties. Similarly, resource sources that 
provides knowledge, human and intellectual 
capital, both internal and external, depend on 
the organizational needs and itself the BI 
project through collaborative work. 

Finally, an associated source achieves the 
constant articulation and communication 
among parties which will contribute resources, 
source and whole network quality 
improvement. It is important to mark that this 
feature goes hand in hand with communication 
and tracking to have knowledge about 
activities that other parties, which belong to 
the network, are developing. 

4.11 Resource success factors 
4.11.1 Economic resources 

As Expert 1 states, BI project or solution choice 
is based on a cost-benefit relation, for him “a 
solution is not expensive by itself, it must be 
seen in a cost-benefit context. Solution choice 
depends on this relation”. Although this topic is 
sensitive at an organizational level since it 
involves monetary resources, it is essential 
when working on a BI solution. As Expert 2 
states, “those are resources that must be used 
from the [project] planning stage” because 
“when there is money involved, the first word is 
always NOT. Second is for what?” States 
Expert 5. 

Expert 3 asserts, “these kinds of projects are 
not usually cheap and enterprises are prevented 
because they have invested a gross quantity of 
money and do not see quick incomes”. This 
makes it more sensitive because when 
immediate results are not seen, BI solutions 
begin to be seen as great investments without 
any contribution or earning. 

Regarding this topic, Expert 6 affirms that 
it is viable to have two concepts of financial 
resource planning in the projects. As a first 
step, top down planning could be set “where 
[you have] a budget, a resource and [you plan] 
from that, trying to see what you do with what 
you have”. The second option is the reverse, a 

bottom up plan where “a series of plans and 
strategic initiatives are defined and 
consolidated, then give as a result a money 
quantity and then you see and look for funding, 
where money comes from and what to do to 
guarantee this resources”. 

4.11.2 Intellectual resources 
According to Expert 3, “there is not [any] 
technology that works without the human 
element and intellectual capacity for processing 
and analyze information. You could have 
marvelous systems but if you do not have people 
behind it, who have the capacity to exploit it to 
the maximum, there is no way to make it work”. 

Meanwhile Experts 1 and 2 state that “when 
[there] is a project, [it] is necessary to know 
which experts [are] needed to be involved” given 
that and to develop it, “a specialization is 
necessary (…) [Since it involves] specialized 
people in the BI field, [which] cannot be done by 
anyone, that is why there are firms specialized 
in BI”. It makes evident the importance of the 
kind of requested resource, facing also that it is 
“a fundamental intellectual resource, [which 
makes it] so difficult to get an expert person in 
the field”. 

As a conclusion and as Experts 4 and 5 
affirm, “If there is a well-formed team which 
can implement and execute it, they really could 
work better or worse with one or another 
technology but they will carry out and will get 
the best from that. If you have the best 
technology but you do not have the people who 
could carry it out, it will not work” therefore 
“you need the technology knowledge and you 
need people who have the knowledge around it”. 

4.11.3 Technological resources 
According to Expert 6: “A technological 
resource is important because it often 
determines the success or not of the BI 
initiative. (…) it is not the same to make it with 
a software, product or hardware resource of low 
performance, poor upgradeability which does 
not have the capacity to grow in a corporate 
environment with all of what it involves: 
security, versioning, collaboration and all 
corporate issues you could have, compared with 
a tool that gives us this kind of possibilities”. 

It is concordant and it goes hand in hand 
with the affirmation of Expert 7 saying that 
“technologies will be used, it should be the best 
existing in the market” and it is advisable that 
“a project like that (BI project) must have an 
alliance with infrastructure organizations, 
because [it] needs servers, machines, etc.” With 



 65 
that you get constant updates and avant-garde 
technologies are promoted. 

In this point, Online Social Networks (OSN) 
are presented as “a still well-unexplored field”, 
Expert 4 states, and adduces that: “there is an 
opportunity. (…) one of the current trends is: 
why do we not take advantage of that which is 
in social networks? Why do not we bring it and 
transform it? Since those data exist there, why 
do not we transform it into knowledge for the 
organization? 

Although OSNs were not considered to be a 
key success factor in BI solutions, they are 
involved at the time to think in sources, data 
handling, ETL, market analysis, brand 
perception and generally, issues related with 
marketing, as experts said. 
4.12 Metrics key success factors 
According to information gathered from the 
experts, metrics allow one to fix goals and to 
know where to go with the project development 
or what one wants to achieve. Accordingly, 
indexes allow one to do a follow-up of the 
project development, showing results based on 
the initial goals. 

Metrics also allow one to determine 
behaviors during the development and 
execution of the project, which allows them to 
handle it in less uncertain environments, and 
establish proactive and reactive actions. It 
allows the organization to identify the degree 
in which objective fulfilment has been achieved 
and thus the achievement of dependent 
activities of the strategy that gave rise to the 
project development. 

They are also immersed as management 
tools as part of the advanced reports or the 
project’s results, and this works itself, 
supporting the management decisions based on 
real and consolidated information backed up by 
reliable systems or technologies. This success 
factor is key as a management tool since it 
allows one to analyze, diagnose, preview and 
make decisions in favor of the project 
development in order to be successful. 
4.13 Environment key success factor 
This success factor refers to the conditions that 
are inherent to the BI project during its 
planning, development and execution on behalf 
of both internal and external environmental 
factors, which have influence and direct 
involvement in the project activities and the 
people involved in the project. 

Since environment is changing, project 
condition must change as well according to new 

demands. It is part of the paradigmatic rupture 
of always doing things the same way.  

As is evident in interviews, BI solutions, by 
engaging a set of processes and new or 
improved technologies, present a resistance on 
behalf of individual and/or the group culture 
that is formed at an organizational level, or by 
the sum of the individual cultures that 
generate environmental conditions both 
positively and negatively. 

These environmental conditions, despite the 
fact that they generate barriers, also generate 
benefits as joint problem solutions on behalf of 
positive issues formed by the organizational 
culture. Factors like founded organizational 
structure are influential in solving problems, 
since bases of personal and group relationships 
that operate through past experiences have 
been settled. 

5. CONCLUSIONS 
Up to now, academic research on the key 
success factors of implementing BI systems 
were still rare, limited in the scope of analysis 
(Pham et al. 2016) and poorly understood (Yeoh 
and Popovič 2016). Although BI solutions try to 
focus on success in the technological 
component, they adopt an approach that puts 
business needs first (Yeoh and Koronios 2010; 
Yeoh and Popovič 2016). Thus, BI solutions 
must be part of the company strategy, 
managed in a centralized way, involving all 
users from the first initiative, appropriating 
skills and suitable and needed knowledge. 

Research exhibits 13 factors that contribute 
to improve the success rate of BI solution 
implementation. These solutions must involve 
a sponsor from the top management, 
permanently developing and adapting the 
expectations and challenges that face the 
organization, providing training as well as 
human, material, technical and economic 
resources needed for its development (Olszak 
and Ziemba 2012), all aligned with the strategy 
and the environment in which the organization 
operates. When all of these elements are 
identified from the beginning and are used as 
drivers for the implementation effort, there is 
a greater probability of success in the BI 
solutions implementation (Yeoh and Koronios 
2010). 

Although this literature review identified a 
total of 12 key success factors for BI solutions, 
another contribution from the research was the 
Professional Networks key success factor. This 
has emerged due to new trends in practice 
communities, a disseminated access to 



 66 
knowledge and the narrowing of the 
professional ties among professionals from 
different or even the same industries or 
economic sectors. 

For further research, this work may involve 
a greater sample of experts that allow for a 
more detailed analysis by economic sector, 
industry and likewise by distinguishing the 
kind of affiliation (public and private). Also, it 
could include participants who participated in 
projects as final users, since this research was 
developed based on experts who participated as 
implementers or were part of the top 
management team that was not necessarily 
implied to be a user. 
 

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Appendix 1 

Conducted interview to experts 

Objective: To explore and to know about 
experiences that have had people considered 
as experts due to their academic and practice 
knowledge in business intelligence solutions 
implementation. 

General question 
1. Please shortly tell me about your 

professional and academic background 
regarding business intelligence and 
implementations of this kind of solutions. 

Top management and directives block 
questions 
2. How do you think people of top 

management influence on this kind of 
implementations? 

3. How has the communication between top 
management and the rest of 
organization’s people at the time to think 
in this kind of implementations been? 

4. Describe in a single phrase the role that 
the next factors play between people and 
top management at the time to make BI 
solutions implementations: 
a) Trust b) Cooperation  c) 

Coordination 
5. How do you think power or people 

political influence impacts on the BI 
solutions implementations? 

Business issues block questions 
6. How do you perceive the influence of 

business in the BI solution 
implementation planning? 

7. Likewise, how do you perceive the role of 
technologies and information inside the 
business issues? 

“Champion” block questions 
8. How do you perceive the idea of 

establishing a leader of the project for the 
BI solution implantation? Is it necessary? 

9. How do you think the engaged people’s 
trust is influenced by the fact of having a 
leader figure? 

10. How do you perceive the influence of a 
leader within the negotiations that there 
may be among people involved in the 
project? 

Strategy block questions 
11. From your point of view, what is the role 

of the strategy in the project planning? 
12. How do you think the adopted strategy to 

the BI project influences the collaborative 
processes performed in the organization? 

Change management block questions 
13. How do you see the impact in the change 

resistance on behalf of individual and 
group culture at the time to make an 
implementation? 

14. How do technologies impact the change 
management at the time of making an 
implementation? 

Project developing block questions 
15. How do people’s participation within the 

project usually happens? 
16. How are learning topics and knowledge 

management handled at the time to 
conceive the project and implement it? 

17. Have a central control entity figure to 
make the implementation been 
stablished? How does it work? 

18. Do you think organizational structure 
influences in some way the BI solutions 
implementation? If yes, how does it 
happen? 

19. How do technologies influence the project 
implementation? 

20. What kind of information is handled 
during the project development? Who has 
access to that information? 

People and human talent teams block 
questions 
21. Which role do people’s networks play 

when thinking about BI solutions? (it is 
not referred to online social networks) 

22. What do you think about the influence of 
proximity among people in their 
collaborative work under the project 
execution? Understanding proximity as 
common issues existent among people. 

Learning and Skills block questions 
23. How learning processes happen and what 

abilities are required from the people 
participating in these implementations? 

24. How do people’s communications and 
commitment influence their learning 
processes and skills development? 

25. How do people’s networks influence their 
learning and skills development? 

Technologies and Information block 
questions 
26. How do you describe the role of social 

networks and its relation with 



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technologies and information used in Bi 
solutions? 

27. Describe in a single phrase the relation (if 
there is any) that you find between 
technologies and information in a BI 
solution and: 
a) Learning  
b) Abilities       
c) Communication among participants 

Resources block questions 

28. What is your opinion about the relation 
between planning and economic 
resources used in a BI solution? 

29. How do you define the importance of 
technological and intellectual resources 
in BI solutions? 

30. What additional factors do you consider 
that affect/impact? Is there anything else, 
positively or negatively, related to this 
collaborative work?