Stop Hiring Experts, Start Building Systems: The Path to Resilient BI

Stop Hiring Experts, Start Building Systems: The Path to Resilient BI

• By Joe Christensen • 2 min read
Business IntelligenceData GovernanceTeam BuildingScalability

The statistics are sobering: data shows that 87% of organizations have low BI and analytics maturity. Even more shocking is that corporate reporting suffers from the same failure rates as small businesses.

The reason is simple: most companies don’t design a system to deliver results—they expect their people to be the system. At Aqueducts Consulting, we believe there is a better way. We call it Strong Teams BI.

The “Key Person” Trap

Many organizations rely on a “system of experts”. They hire high-priced “all-stars” and hope for the best. This leads to several critical risks:

  • Key Person Dependency: If your consulting group or internal lead leaves, the system leaves with them.
  • Scaling is Too Expensive: Relying solely on high-end consulting to grow is prohibitively costly.
  • Turnover Risk: New hires often lack a clear onboarding path, and reports frequently break when inherited by new internal staff.
  • The “Many Cooks” Problem: Without a system, data fields get “mangled” by different departments, leading to bad data and lost revenue from downtime.

The Solution: Build the System, Then Hire the Team

The core philosophy of Strong Teams BI is to build an expert system first, then hire a team to run it. By modeling and documenting the report development process while the reports are being built, you create a resilient infrastructure that outlasts any single employee.

Why this approach is fruitful:

  • Lower Long-Term Costs: By using an “expert system,” you can hire enthusiasts or mid-level developers who follow proven SOPs, reducing total salary spend.
  • Eliminate Recruiter Fees: A documented, easy-to-run system makes it easier to find talent without expensive recruiters.
  • Increased Output: New hires become productive faster because they work within an existing system rather than bringing their own.
  • Proactive Maintenance: Instead of waiting for reports to break, the system is designed to “seek and destroy” bad data through automated sanity checks and alerts.
  • Scalability: A documented system allows you to scale toward $750m in revenue with low risk and high ROI.

What a “Strong Team” Actually Looks Like

We don’t just give you a report; we build a department. Our transition plan includes:

Function Deliverables
Tech Data lake design, Power BI architecture, and hardened pipeline refreshes with error handling.
Development A report development operating manual, documented backlog, and SOPs.
Team Custom job descriptions, interview questions, and onboarding plans.
Management A system to measure team impact and incremental improvement plans.

Preparing for the Next 5 Years

A system-first approach makes your business resilient to the events of the next half-decade. Whether you lose key people, need to upgrade your ERP, or are looking to scale your revenue, the “Strong Teams” model ensures your data remains a stable asset rather than a liability.

By focusing on the process, not just the experts, you transform BI from a high-risk expense into a promotion engine for your entire company.

Ready to stop being the system and start building one?

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