Gaining insights from data

Almost all organisations use information systems to process and store data electronically. Most will also try to analyse that data to identify significant patterns and trends, with varying degrees of sophistication and success. Their efforts are frequently hampered by poor data quality, inconsistent definitions and opaque databases, so that only technically proficient specialists can access and make sense of what is available. Tools and techniques to help extract useful insights from the morass of data are evolving rapidly, but the skills to use them effectively remain in short supply. Business intelligence systems and performance dashboards have proliferated rapidly over the last few years, but the vast majority only report historic data. The best will also use pre-determined rules to analyse that data and send out alerts when a significant change occurs. They may even recommend the best course of action, based on what has worked in similar situations in the past. Developing and testing such rules involves statistical analysis and modelling, combined with a deep understanding of the business in question. The challenge is growing ever more complex as the volume, velocity and variety of data increase. It is now widely recognised that organisations which build capabilities in "business intelligence" and "analytics" will enjoy a significant competitive advantage.

How Jigsaw can help:
We can help your business or organisation to manage its data assets more effectively, use analytics to turn them into actionable information, and develop your in house insight capabilities. We can also help you to design and build a business intelligence system that delivers timely, accurate, consistent information to decision makers at all levels throughout your organisation.

Why us:
We have extensive practical experience in the analysis and interpretation of data, including survey design, statistics, spatial analysis, performance measurement, data mining and data visualisation. Our breadth of expertise enables us to choose appropriate tools and techniques to fit the problem at hand rather than trying to bend every problem to fit our preferred solution. We will work with you and your team to source and understand relevant data, and base our conclusions on what rigorous analysis of the data tells us, not just the patterns and trends that are apparent on the surface.

Case studies: