March 05, 2013

Organizations Make Strides in Adoption of Analytics, but Struggle to Capitalize on Investments, Accenture Research Finds

Only a fifth very satisfied with business outcomes of their analytics efforts

NEW YORK; March 5, 2013 – Organizations are progressing in the adoption of analytics for decision making, according to new research from Accenture (NYSE: ACN). However, there is still a prevalent disconnect between analytics capabilities organizations have built and how successfully they put them to use for business decision-making.

The survey of 600 executives in the United Kingdom and the United States revealed that 66 percent of responding companies have appointed senior figures (e.g. chief data officers) in the last 18 months to lead data-management strategies and policies, as well as to support business growth.

The use of analytics as a primarily predictive tool almost tripled to 33 percent from 12 percent in 2009 when Accenture research revealed that weak analytics capabilities hindered organizations’ decision-making abilities. Today, twice as many organizations feel that they are generating new ideas and opportunities from company data “to a great extent” (25 percent versus 12 percent in 2009).

On the other hand, just over one fifth of respondents (22 percent) said they are “very satisfied” with business outcomes driven by their analytics investments to date. Furthermore, only 39 percent of organizations state that the data they generate is relevant to their business strategies, and only 50 percent say that their data is consistent, accurate, formatted and complete.

“Analytics remains the new kid on the block, but is clearly moving on the C-suite agenda,” said Narendra Mulani, senior managing director, Accenture Analytics. “However, although companies are investing in senior resources and advanced technologies, analytics is not yet deeply ingrained into the fabric of most companies as an integrated, enterprise-wide approach. For many organizations the journey to achieving true return on investment still lies ahead.”

A combined 45 percent of respondents described their analytical capabilities as either in need of improvement, limited, lacking senior management support or piecemeal. Another 20 percent of organizations stated they have the required technical and human resources to apply analytics regularly with some success, but that the focus tends to be tactical rather than strategic. Only 21 percent of respondents said they routinely use analytics very successfully as part of an integrated enterprise wide approach.

According to the research, getting the full returns on investments in analytics is a journey that leads from issues, to insight, to decisions, to action and ultimately to outcome. But the Accenture Analytics experts also state that incremental value is to be gained at every step of this journey, and that organizations should set clear goals for each step they climb, for example focusing on near-term value so their analytics efforts are self-funded within the first twelve months.

“Effective analytics programs are built on a three-part foundation,” said Mulani. “The first is to establish disciplined processes that ensure valuable insights and recommendations are being generated, acted on, and measured for effectiveness. Next, companies should use a ‘build, buy and partner’ strategy to source skills, given the supply constraints. Finally, they must apply technology that ensures data integrity, quality and accessibility. Organizations can drive true ROI with analytics on this foundation.”

Other results from the survey include the following:

Significance Organizations Place on Analytics

Where and How Analytics is Applied

Further Challenges Remain

About the Research The research, titled “Analytics in Action. Breakthroughs and Barriers on the Journey to ROI,” was based on telephone interviews with 600 executives at 600 private-sector and public-sector organizations in the United States (300) and the United Kingdom (300) with more than 1,000 employees. Participants included directors and key decision makers across a wide range of industries (e.g. public sector, financial services, resources, communications and high tech, and retail and manufacturing) and business functions (e.g. sales and marketing, customer relationship management, human resources and finance). Interviews were conducted in August and September 2012.

For further research data, click here. Additionally, please click here for an infographic of research findings.

About Accenture Accenture is a global management consulting, technology services and outsourcing company, with approximately 259,000 people serving clients in more than 120 countries. Combining unparalleled experience, comprehensive capabilities across all industries and business functions, and extensive research on the world’s most successful companies, Accenture collaborates with clients to help them become high-performance businesses and governments. The company generated net revenues of US$27.9 billion for the fiscal year ended Aug. 31, 2012. Its home page is www.accenture.com.

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Contacts:

Jens R. Derksen

Accenture

+ 49 (30) 89047-61393

jens.derksen@accenture.com

Oriana CamachoBurson-Marsteller

+ 415 591 4130oriana.camacho@bm.com