How KOMA is learning to steer on facts, not gut feeling

KOMA wanted insight across the full breadth of the organisation, from finance and sales to field service, purchasing, logistics and operations. “On the one hand the financials, but certainly also the leading KPIs,” Roy explains. “That gives the organisation the insight to actually steer on them.”

For that, KOMA looked for a partner who sees beyond the dashboard. “A partner who understands how we work and how our systems fit together is key,” says Roy. “Then we don’t need to have that expertise in-house.”

Optilise didn’t start with a new data warehouse, but with what was already there. The existing systems were connected to Power BI straight away, and domain by domain 26 KPIs became available. Every week, the process owner of that domain validated the new figures.

“Optilise is good at putting themselves in the shoes of the dashboard user,” says Roy. “That way the conversation quickly turns to the right things.”

After that, the focus shifted to the foundation: one central Power BI data model with unambiguous definitions, so everyone at KOMA looks at the same figures.

“Optilise connects with people easily,” says Roy. “It quickly feels familiar, and you get the sense that there is an external colleague at the table.”

“They really know their stuff,” Roy adds. “They don’t just think from the user’s point of view, they also make sure the backend is robust and efficient.”

“More insight, more facts,” Roy sums up. “Surprises we didn’t know about, confirmation in some areas, consistency and material for comparison.”

If a hunch is right, the data gives confidence. If it isn’t, the conversation gets going. “Now that more and more insight is coming in, it sparks the right conversation in the organisation,” says Roy. “It is part of a bigger cultural change: we increasingly want to work on the basis of facts instead of gut feeling.”

KOMA isn’t done yet. “The art will be not to keep developing, but above all to get to work with the new insights,” says Roy. “That is sometimes harder than developing the insights themselves.”

That is also where the division of roles lies: “Optilise is our navigator and gives us the insight. We (KOMA) steer in the right direction.”

“It was the right choice,” says Roy. “Not only to gain more insight into our performance, but also because we did it with the right partner.” Roy’s advice to organisations that are hesitating? “Do it.”

How about your organisation: does it already steer on facts, or still mostly on gut feeling?