Questions I get asked, answered properly
One page per question, the answer in the first paragraph, then the mechanism underneath it. Each one states what the evidence establishes, what it does not, and what would show the conclusion is wrong. These sit alongside the glossary: the glossary defines the words, these work through the arguments they belong to.
The questions
- Decision intelligence vs business intelligence: what is the difference? (https://www.themeetpatel.com/answers/decision-intelligence-vs-business-intelligence) — Business intelligence is responsible for the view: it establishes what happened and presents it when asked. Decision intelligence is responsible for the decision: it notices what deserves attention without being asked, reconciles the systems that disagree, and carries a recommendation with its evidence attached. BI produces a chart. Decision intelligence produces a call someone can defend.
- Why do the CRM and the finance system disagree about revenue? (https://www.themeetpatel.com/answers/why-crm-and-finance-disagree-about-revenue) — Almost always because they are answering different questions correctly. The CRM holds what was sold, dated when it was signed. Finance holds what was recognised, dated when it was delivered. Add mid-term changes, credits and currency, and two accurate systems produce two different numbers. The disagreement is a definition problem, not a data-quality problem.
- How do you measure management latency? (https://www.themeetpatel.com/answers/how-to-measure-management-latency) — Take ten recent material changes and record four timestamps for each: when it changed, when a person able to act knew, when the decision was made, and when the action shipped. The median gap from changed to acted is your management latency. The widest of the three internal gaps tells you which problem you actually have.
- Do AI agents replace business intelligence? (https://www.themeetpatel.com/answers/do-ai-agents-replace-business-intelligence) — No. Agents replace the assembly work — collecting, joining, formatting and summarising — which is where most analyst time actually goes. What they do not replace is the layer that establishes what is true. An agent drawing on unreconciled sources produces confident wrong answers faster than a person could, so the reporting layer becomes more load-bearing, not less.
Frequently asked questions
Decision intelligence vs business intelligence: what is the difference?
Business intelligence is responsible for the view: it establishes what happened and presents it when asked. Decision intelligence is responsible for the decision: it notices what deserves attention without being asked, reconciles the systems that disagree, and carries a recommendation with its evidence attached. BI produces a chart. Decision intelligence produces a call someone can defend.
Why do the CRM and the finance system disagree about revenue?
Almost always because they are answering different questions correctly. The CRM holds what was sold, dated when it was signed. Finance holds what was recognised, dated when it was delivered. Add mid-term changes, credits and currency, and two accurate systems produce two different numbers. The disagreement is a definition problem, not a data-quality problem.
How do you measure management latency?
Take ten recent material changes and record four timestamps for each: when it changed, when a person able to act knew, when the decision was made, and when the action shipped. The median gap from changed to acted is your management latency. The widest of the three internal gaps tells you which problem you actually have.
Do AI agents replace business intelligence?
No. Agents replace the assembly work — collecting, joining, formatting and summarising — which is where most analyst time actually goes. What they do not replace is the layer that establishes what is true. An agent drawing on unreconciled sources produces confident wrong answers faster than a person could, so the reporting layer becomes more load-bearing, not less.