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Rolls-Royce is driving innovation by enabling employees, known as ‘citizen developers,’ to build internal applications with low-code platforms such as Microsoft Power Apps. At the same time, Mercedes-Benz Korea uses Power BI and Databricks to develop a data-driven approach to key performance indicators (KPIs), allowing for more intuitive data interaction.
Both initiatives have delivered measurable business benefits, including greater operational efficiency, faster problem-solving, and higher employee engagement, demonstrating clear value for technology professionals.
Key Takeaways:
- Citizen Developers: Employees create apps, resulting in solutions such as a 24/7 on-call system for R&D and the Kudos recognition app, which reportedly increased engagement by 25%.
- Cultural Shift: The emphasis is on cultural and strategic change, with a focus on identifying and empowering ‘evangelists’ within the organization.
- Agile Development: Low-code platforms enable rapid prototyping and feedback, speeding up new system implementation and delivering tangible business benefits.
- Upskilling: Rolls-Royce provides formal training through Microsoft’s Enterprise Skills Initiative and informal ‘app in a day’ programs to support self-directed learning.
Rolls-Royce Cultivates Internal Innovation
Rolls-Royce has adopted a strategy to improve efficiency and drive digital transformation by enabling employees without formal development backgrounds to build software solutions. Although the initiative has delivered strong results, it has faced challenges, including initial employee hesitation, data security concerns, and the need for consistent standards.
The company addressed these issues through targeted training, clear communication of benefits, and ongoing support from IT and team champions. This approach aims to address internal challenges and build a strong internal developer community. The company’s CIO and Chief Digital Officer, Stuart Hughes, emphasized the potential impact, stating, “What if 1,000 people could do something that would save £10,000 each?”
Mercedes-Benz Korea’s Data-Driven KPI Strategy
Mercedes-Benz Korea has strengthened its business intelligence by integrating Power BI with Databricks. The company manages a comprehensive set of sales and steering KPIs within Power BI semantic models and a central Master KPI catalog. To address challenges in reusing KPI logic for AI applications and across platforms, they partnered with Databricks.
The collaboration moved KPI logic to the Databricks Lakehouse and Unity Catalog. An automated DAX-to-SQL transpiler was developed to convert DAX measures into Unity Catalog Metric Views, ensuring semantic consistency with legacy reports.
To support data governance and security, the architecture uses Unity Catalog’s fine-grained access controls and centralized data management, protecting sensitive information and maintaining compliance across markets. This setup enables a “Talk to Your Data” capability for governed KPIs, making AI agents production-ready and supporting self-service “talk to your KPIs” features across markets.
Sources
Spargent Analytics
Microsoft Fabric consulting, implementation, analytics modernization, and long-term support for enterprise data teams.
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