Strategic Planning for Master Data Management
Jim McQuade
Data Administrator
Giant Eagle, Inc.
Is your data infrastructure aging? Historically, many companies allowed their applications to develop in vertical silos defined around business function. However, in today's horizontally aligned business model, a new challenge surfaces: the need to share common reference data across silos. In a vertically aligned business model, much data about critical concepts are locked away without easy and efficient ways to make them available to other business units. Further, business units often compete for the "ownership" of these concepts. Finding a rational strategy for sharing acceptable by business and technical stakeholders is challenging. This seminar explores the practical issues in the planning, coordination, and marketing of the business and technical solutions for Master Data Management. We'll also look at cross-functional issues where data architecture interacts with business, application, and technology architectures. In doing so, we hope to prepare an established company to fully participate as a 21st-century Information Age company.
You will take away:
- The practical means to create a strategic data infrastructure plan.
- Understanding of key data architecture alternatives.
- How to identify critical data repository elements.
- The importance of road mapping and harvesting low-hanging fruit.
- How to market and sell the plan to management and your peer stakeholders.
- How to secure funding and resources.
- The possible organizational changes you may need to make
Comments (2)
Jim McQuade said
at 9:44 am on May 1, 2006
From the Author:
Master Data Management (MDM) is nothing new. It’s in vogue today because of a confluence of technology in hardware and middleware. Many alternatives exist for realizing MDM, and by no means should this approach be considered the final word. First, I presented a technical method for strategic planning derived from Finklestein & Aiken. Then, we spent some time in a walkthrough of a systems architecture that’s evolved as a result. Lastly, we wrapped up by highlighting the management and organizational issues you’re likely to see along the way.
As it is with my general approach to Data Management, the really big ideas come from the “soft” side of our business. When I approach Strategic IT Planning, I believe the three most important things to remember are:
1. Find your friends, and keep them close. And, you’ll need to reach outside of the Data Management world to be successful.
2. Remember why they pay you, and be sure to align yourself with your company’s greater agenda.
3. Under-promise and over-deliver. Nobody wants to see their expectations come up short.
And if you remember nothing else:
• Remember we work in a social system. When you account for the invisible forces of organization, culture, and politics, you’re taking giant leaps in the right direction.
An unpublished white paper, essentially the first draft of the speech, is available from the author. Send your email request to jmcquade@gianteagle.com. Should be fit for consumption around June 1.
Stephen Thompson said
at 4:48 pm on May 2, 2006
Jim, this was a fantastic session. I was getting ready to request budget to have some outside consultants hand-hold us through this process, but after your presentation I feel like I can do it myself. Please be sure to send me your white paper when you're done with it. Again, thank you for the fantastic presentation.
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