Mike is mortified. He made himself look a complete fool at the Board meeting this morning. It all stemmed from the Chairman's seemingly innocuous enquiry as to how the Sales team was performing against budget. Thereafter, questions were being fired relentlessly at Mike from all directions. From his hesitant responses and uncomfortable shuffling in his seat, it soon became evident that, frankly, Mike didn't have much of a clue. The Board is made up of a number of very shrewd, successful business people ' captains of industry. They recognise a bluff when they see one and have clearly been unimpressed with his unconvincing responses. Mike knows that this is not a good or safe place for a Managing Director to be...

Every few weeks, it's the same old story. It's not as if Mike doesn't prepare for these arduous meetings. Each of his managers is tasked beforehand with the job of producing facts, figures, reports and a host of management information relevant to his or her own department. Mike is bombarded with statistics but much of this information seems to be conflicting, erroneous or irrelevant and, very probably, is largely based on guesswork. It's Mike's unenviable brief to try to interpret, analyse and make some sense out of it all but, without a reliable system in place to ensure accuracy and plausibility of the data, it's an utter nightmare. Something needs to be done ' quickly.

Luckily for Mike, as he taps onto the Internet, the solution is at hand when he finds a specialist in the areas of data integration, reporting and performance management. This is a business intelligence consultancy with its finger firmly on the pulse, having had years of experience and expertise in capturing, processing and presenting companies' data and converting it into a useful, useable format. Its know-how enables any company, large or small, to implement solutions that will improve its performance radically and add real value to the business. All of the critical information assets of the business, be they on a database or in document form, are dispersed in the right format throughout the organisation, giving people the ability to manage data and provide strong reporting analysis, empowering them to make better informed business decisions and helping them to drive business efficiency.

Mike contacts one of the consultancy's expert representatives who, having listened to and evaluated his business intelligence needs, helps him to identify the key areas of weakness in his company's data manipulation and report production. Mike's embarrassment and sense of failure start to lessen, as he is reassured that he is by no means alone. Very many people in similar positions face the same frustrations ' but without the right tools and technology for the job, he can hardly be expected to produce credible data and reports that will satisfy his Board. After all, what can't be measured can't be managed.

Together, Mike and the consultancy's representative plan a bespoke programme of training for Mike and his senior managers. The consultancy will advise organisations on the most suitable technology to be used to access, distribute, monitor, analyse and report on their data. It also guarantees that its certified instructors provide the highest possible standard of instruction, are accredited by the software vendor and that course materials are up-to-date and fully quality-assured. After two or three days of specially tailored tuition and expert mentoring from an onsite trainer, Mike's managers have already discovered a new level of understanding and are eagerly anticipating the forthcoming months, during which they can expect an exciting cycle of development which will involve them all, will shape their evolution and undoubtedly result in countless benefits for their clients..

With a firm strategy in place for taking the company forward, Mike is happy that he's made a sound investment. For the first time ever, he's actually looking forward to the next Board meeting, confident in the knowledge that, with solid information at his fingertips, no amount of gruelling questioning can floor him. He's in control.