Business Intelligence

In the business world, decisions which set a course for a company’s future must be made on a daily basis. In order to make good decisions that have been completely thought through, a precise understanding of the business is required. A Management Information System (MIS) that has been implemented company-wide is the suitable tool for this.

Confabs Management Consulting (CMC) devises the content-related concept for a company-wide Management Information System and supports the implementation process. In order to depict the company based upon its requirements, the following points are taken into consideration as the required goals of an MIS:

• Creation of transparency with regards to a company’s most important key indicators
• Increased transparency with regards to the value contributed by the individual divisions
• Development of a management cockpit for an addressee-oriented reporting system for the top management
• Better understanding of the business and turnover connections/cost connections through the model-like depiction via steering trees
• Depiction of a cause-effect chain along the company’s value creation chain
• Creation of comparative possibilities on the product and segment level
• If required: Supporting of the operative implementation of a balanced scorecard

Operationalisation of the value drivers through the process level

Content-related advantages of an MIS

As the basis of the Management Information System, we use the key indicators based upon which the divisions understand, analyse and report their business. In order to depict various structures of the company divisions equally, the bundling of all key indicators is made in order to gain a company overview. In this case, we work together with the client to jointly draft the company’s top steering key indicators. Through this approach, it is ensured that divisions and company management steer based upon the same coordinated key indicators. The content-related consistency of the data across all levels is guaranteed through the joint understanding of the company’s “world of figures and quantities”.

Through the systematic structuring of the data, the MIS can be used both as an analytical tool in operative controlling and as a reporting tool for management. The content-related accessing of the top key indicators is made via a steering cockpit (dashboard). Even the planning process is improved through the creation of simulation options. Thus, for example, straightforward scenarios (e.g. changes in market prices) can be simulated and the effects to be expected can be evaluated.

Procedural advantages of an MIS

In addition to the content-related advantages, improvements for procedural sequences are also obtained through the implementation of an MIS. Through the use of standardly defined information sources, ongoing interface issues between the different IT systems no longer occur. Automated processes for data transfer and data supply also decrease the manual coordination requirements and keep any potential error sources (e.g. wording or connection errors) to a minimum. As required, the individual factual circumstances are commented on directly within the MIS in consultation between the Business Controlling and Management Divisions. On a joint basis, discussion of important points can be conducted faster and in a targeted manner.

Overall, a Management Information System leads to a long-term increase in data quality for company steering and a substantial reduction in coordination expenditures.

Find out more about our Management information systems