What we have to do next is to present our findings to management in a way that shows how we plan to implement the data warehouse. We will present an incremental approach that shows the costs and the expected benefits of each increment.
The submission process might be predetermined in that there are a package of prescribed forms already in existence and all we have to do is simply plug our numbers into the forms and, presto, the submission pops out of the end of the process. In the case of the data warehouse, there are several things that we want to say:
The fact that, in developing the warehouse, we are supporting the business in the pursuit of its goals.
Show how the information will affect revenue and profit over two, three, or even five years. Also the return on investment to show how quickly each increment will pay for itself.
Describe the incremental approach and how the value of each increment has been calculated.
Table 8.6 is a real-life example of a part of a submission made by a major cellular telephone company.
We should attach the ROI table as part of the submission. The submission should show what would happen to the business if the data warehouse solution is not implemented and, subsequently, what would happen if it were.
It is also useful to show a roadmap. This is just a simple illustrative abstraction of the incremental delivery. An example is shown in Figure 8.1.
The roadmap in Figure 8.1 makes for a good presentational slide because you can explain how the different pieces of the puzzle fit together. If you want, you can put something on the Y axis such as the cost, or the projected increased revenue, or the ROI.
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