How to Set Up the Solution | #hrmanagement #hrexecutive

The Power BI platform by Microsoft is the current market leader for data collection, analysis, reporting, and overall management, allowing businesses to make data-driven and well-informed decisions in their HR processes. It is a highly powerful tool with a wide range of possibilities, but many organisations fail to utilise them to the maximum. Seeking Microsoft Power BI consulting is perhaps the best way to identify the best options based on the individual needs of your business. However, there are some key factors you may look at when implementing the most optimal solution, which this guide will cover. 

A centralised approach

Centralising your data within a single platform is one of the most important ways to leverage Power BI capabilities to their maximum. This means creating a seamless and connected integration between multiple data sources into one, centralised portal. This allows you to gain a much larger pool of information, whether it’s coming from your online store, ERP systems, or archive databases. 

Not only that, a centralised approach to this solution will allow for much easier and more efficient management of big data. The data from the different sources is then available in a single platform that is both easy to use and full of capabilities for data analysis, reporting, storage and so on. Moreover, certain solutions also allow for Power BI integration within third-party apps and software, meaning that accessing relevant information will become much quicker and easier for both the HR teams and other departments. 

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Making the most out of data

A lot of valuable insights can come out of the most basic data analysis methods, however, for the best results, utilising the smart capabilities of Power BI is key. One of the ways to do this is by implementing an AI-driven analytics solution, that allows you to gain much more information from the same data. 

This smart technology is able to identify various patterns and relationships between data, create comprehensive reports for it and even suggest the best actions based on the data – all in an automated way that would otherwise be highly difficult and time-consuming when done manually. This also brings further personalising opportunities while using machine learning technology, which essentially learns from your preferences and needs to produce more accurate and relevant reports for your business. 

Use customised solutions

Each business has a different set of needs and requirements when it comes to data analysis and management. It is important that your Power BI solution is customised and tailored specifically to those needs. For example, flexible report configuration allows you to generate reports based on your business objectives, therefore, prioritising the data that is important to you. 

Additionally, aim to present the data in the most efficient way without compromising the visual appeal of your reports. Utilising standardised templates that are customised based on your corporate style and key priorities will allow you to produce highly informative and conclusive reports with effective use of data visualisation. 

Utilise the dashboards

One of the biggest benefits of Microsoft Power BI is the ability to have multiple dashboards for a number of different areas within the business. Not utilising those features would simply be a waste of valuable resources. A dashboard in Power BI is essentially a single page, sometimes called canvas, that uses visualisations and other data reporting methods to inform about a certain topic or, in other words, tell a story. They are one of the easiest ways for employees from different sectors to access and review relevant data in the most intuitive and easy-to-understand form. 

Human resources alone can benefit greatly from a number of different types of dashboards, including performance grids, salary and compensation information, employee retention and turnover data, training analysis, employee details, and diversity dashboards, departmental overview, termination analytics and other historical trends. Other departments, such as marketing, finances, product sales, customer support, etc., would find Power BI dashboard features equally useful. 

Ensure data security

A data security breach can have absolutely devastating effects on a business, in a form of reputational and financial loss. Ensuring the highest level of data security should be at the heart of your MS Power BI solution implementation. There are multiple technologies available for data protection, including cloud migration and other in-house data storage solutions. 

The best cybersecurity practices should be implemented across all levels of the organisation, including secure data collection and storage practices. Furthermore, a big number of cybersecurity breaches tend to derive from human mistakes, so training all employees about the importance of data privacy, how to deal with data security, and what to do in the event of a suspected security breach is key. 

Consider employee experience

Introducing a Power BI solution to your HRM teams means fundamentally changing the way they work and complete everyday tasks. Getting them on board with these changes will be much easier if, in return, the employees can see the benefits to them, not just the business. Sure, automating some of the more repetitive, time-consuming tasks is an obvious advantage, which also allows them to focus on the more meaningful tasks within HR. However, there’s much more to it than that. 

When choosing the best Power BI solutions for your business, try to consider how it will impact the overall experience of your employees. Going for the cheapest and most convenient option on paper may be tempting, but it may also create lots of new frustrations for your workers. The types of licences you choose, the migration process, the level of integration with other software, data architecture, performance monitoring, how intuitive are the dashboards and many other things should be taken into account. Making any of these decisions with your team’s needs and wants in mind will ultimately lead to a happier and more motivated workforce. 

Final word

All in all, in order to achieve optimal results and utilise Microsoft Power BI to the maximum, many things must be considered. It is highly recommended to opt for solutions that are tailored to your specific business requirements. This includes the ability to integrate other processes within your business, centralise your data collection and analysis, ensure the highest levels of data protection as well as make good use of the smart features that this powerful platform has to offer – all while keeping your employees’ needs and wants at the heart of the chosen solutions too.