Readiness assessment for business intelligence and analytics adoption- a case of Lagos based SMEs

Abstract

This paper is aimed at depicting how a readiness assessment exercise for the adoption of business intelligence (BI) tools by SME’s in Lagos should be conducted. Determination of how such an assessment should be conducted is informed by the identification of 15 critical success factors (CSFs) of BI implementation revealed by existing studies on the subject. These CSF’s are then assigned criteria weights proportionate to their importance in the BI adoption process. A pragmatist philosophical stance hinged on abductive reasoning is employed to observe the creation and application of the framework to support the assessment of two SMEs in Lagos (Company A and Company B) that have adopted BI tools. Observation suggests that this is a practical tool that can be adopted by many SMEs in Nigeria to determine their readiness level to adopt BI applications. Such an assessment will aid in circumventing unforeseen deficiencies related to preparedness to successfully employ BI applications.