Making the MDM Journey a Success

The evolution of the data model should naturally follow changes in the business. The base model is set but the number of attributes and objects within the database will expand. Start small and grow into the vision.

Having a vision of clear business value and a strategy to get there are only the beginning, but an MDM journey will not be successful without two other concurrent actions. The first and most important is a business-owned and administered data governance program; the second is a data quality program. The governance program should be a cross-functional team with representatives from all lines of business working together. Only the business users, who know the data and its uses, can define each of the data objects to be mastered and set the standards by which the data will be created and maintained. Support functions—such as finance and marketing – should be included as well if they are consumers of the data. IT may also require a seat at the table to gain the understanding of what the business needs and wants from its data. It is with this understanding that IT can build the groundwork for a robust quality program. Quality is best built into the front end of the process. Interactive, online validation combined with a rules engine assist the business data stewards in creating error free records. This does not alleviate the need for retrospective audits, but it can reduce the severity and frequency of transactional and reporting errors.

While technology is always part of the equation, it is not a significant ingredient that influences success or failure. Projects have been successful or have failed using any of the software packages commercially available. What influences the success of a project the most is centering the focus on the business: the Vision and the Value; Governance and Quality programs. When the business owns and understands the process, a successful and sustainable MDM journey becomes a much more likely outcome.