The P&G analytics group functions as an internal consultancy and is paid by retainers from different business units. "We're not a fixed overhead tax to the business unit," Wegryn said.

Spreading data analytics systems throughout the enterprise can provide users with a deeper knowledge of business operations, the panelists said.

For instance, the analytics group at transportation logistics firm Schneider National Inc. was able to dissuade company officials from changing the rules associated with driver scheduling even after a pilot project suggested that changes were needed, said Ted Gifford, vice president of engineering and research at the Green Bay, Wis.-based company.

"We were able to go back and challenge some of the structure and assumptions of the pilot," Gifford said.