How Do I Become a Business Intelligence Manager?

To become a business intelligence manager, you must understand different aspects of a business. You likely will need a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree and some other certification that gives you additional understanding of an enterprise, such as an accounting license a certification in computer information systems. A business intelligence manager is knowledgeable in many aspects of a business. It takes time, however, to develop this expertise. Typically, to become business intelligence manager, you must begin as a business intelligence analyst.

A business intelligence manager investigates the structure of the various resources available to a business enterprise. He or she studies what each department does and how it contributes to the success and welfare of a company. This will provide hierarchies of departments that show which of them are more important than others. For instance, the sales department drives revenue growth, the finance and accounting departments help identify the value of the company, and other departments such as engineering or manufacturing might help make products that the company sells. Some departments exist to support others — marketing supports sales, accounting supports finance, and engineering supports manufacturing, for example.

It is also important to understand how a business operates if you want to become a business intelligence manager. At the heart is understanding the different components that make a business run. It is necessary to understand every department, what it does and how it connects to every other department. Only by observing these different aspects in place and working together can a business intelligence manager make recommendations about change or adding processes to increase productivity, reduce costs and improve profits.

Another element in the process to become a business intelligence manager is knowing how employees operate in a business. This is the human relation aspect. A business operates with a hierarchy of employees, from the president or chief executive officer (CEO) down to the entry-level employee. It matters that employees perform their tasks efficiently no matter where they reside in the hierarchy, because this will determine whether the work they do can improve or maintain the production and profit of the business. For example, although the work done by janitors or maintenance crew members might not be as critical as the work done by sales or finance employees, a well-maintained environment can bring confidence to sales or finance employees, whereby they can bring customers or clients to the business.

Although it is important for a business intelligence manager to understand the financial aspects of a business, that is not enough. This person should be comfortable with topics involving all aspects of a business, such as information technology, sales, marketing, engineering and manufacturing, or whichever areas apply to a specific business. It also is important to learn how people behave in a business setting.