Elizma Kuyper

Spreadsheets are valuable tools for analysis, but they were never designed to serve as enterprise data platforms. As data volumes grow and analytics demands increase, spreadsheet-driven reporting often introduces risk, inconsistency and scalability challenges. This article explores why modern analytics requires stronger foundations to deliver reliable, trusted insight.

Many organisations overestimate their analytics maturity. The real picture often becomes clear only when examining the “symptoms” inside the data estate—patterns that consistently reveal underlying strengths, weaknesses, and readiness for advanced analytics. Below are the most common indicators observed across industries.   1. Conflicting Reports Across the Business Symptom: KPIs vary depending on who produced the report.Root cause: Absence of a Single Source of Truth.Maturity...

Becoming a data-driven organisation does not happen all at once. It is a structured progression through identifiable stages, each with specific characteristics, capabilities and constraints. Understanding these stages helps organisations assess where they currently are and what is required to advance.   THE FIVE STAGES OF ANALYTICS MATURITY Stage 1: Ad Hoc / Reactive At this level, data is scattered across spreadsheets and systems. Reporting is inconsistent, slow and often dependent on...