Information Management Quote of the week 15/03/14

“Get your facts first, then you can distort them as you please.” 

(Mark Twain)

See also... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F_rTMNnxwSE 

NEW WHITE PAPER: Distributed Data Quality

Why a centralised approach isn't the only way of achieving better data outcomes

In my new discussion paper, I explore the organisational and cultural challenges of implementing information governance and data quality. I identify potential problems with the traditional centralised methods of governance and data quality management, and offer alternative organisational models which can enable a more distributed and democratised approach to improving your organisations data. I also propose a simple four-step approach to delivering immediate business value from your data.
TOP REASONS TO READ THIS PAPER:

• You have identified that you have data quality issues, but don't know where to start.

• Your data is spread across multiple business groups and disparate business processes.

• You have limited budget or resources.

• Executive buy-in and "top/down" mandate for data governance is hard to come by.

Access "Distributed Data Quality" via SlideShare.com (requires login)
Or access here via MediaFire.com (no login required)

Information Management quote of the week 07/03/14

"The deepest sin against the human mind is to believe things without evidence" 

(Aldous Huxley) 

See also... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3TQZ-2iMUR0

Why Data Quality Is Like A Public Toilet...

...and other perspectives on Data Governance. My interview with Nicola Askham. 

Data Governance Coach Nicola Askham has been hosting a series of interviews with folks involved in Data Governance and Information Management, and was kind enough to ask me to be her latest victim guest. 

We covered a broad range of perspectives on the topic, including:

• Why you shouldn't start out in data governance if you want a career in data governance.
• The mindset of good data management.
• The importance of sociology, psychology and philosophy for Information Management practitioners.
• Why data quality is like a public toilet. (Yes, really.)

You can read the whole interview here.... 

I would like to reiterate my thanks to Nicola for asking me to be part of her interview series - I'm honoured to be included in the same company as Gwen Thomas, Jill Wanless, Jim Orr, Daragh O'Brien, Sunil Soares and Patrick Dewald. 

2014 DQ Asia Pacific Congress

I will be chairing the Data Quality Asia Pacific Congress 2014, to be hosted by Ark Group and held at the Rydges Swanston, Melbourne from 25th to 27th March.

As well as a packed schedule of workshops, expert viewpoints and case studies, DQ AsiaPacific will also feature the gala presentation of the fourth annual DQ APAC awards, hosted in partnership with IAIDQ.

The exciting lineup of speakers and panelists at DQ AsiaPacific includes:

• David Dufty, Australian Bureau of Statistics
• Rick Andrews, Telstra
• Althea Belford, Melbourne Water
• Paul Ormonde-James of Australia Post
• Sofia Chancey and Dr. Thomas Buehlmann, Accenture
• James Price, Experienced Matters
• Alan Doyle, NAB
• Ram Kumar, Insurance Australia Group

As well as chairing the event, I will also be hosting an interactive masterclass: "Managing for Effective Data Governance." In this half-day workshop, I will explore the human aspects of Data Governance and examine what it takes to be successful in implementing effective information-enabled business transformation. Areas covered will include:

• Do we need to rethink our Data Governance strategies?
• Is enterprise-wide Data Management & Governance really achievable?
• What techniques and capabilities do we need to focus on?
• What skills and personal attributes does a Data Governance Manager need?

A full brochure for the DQ APAC conference can be dowloaded here... 

The Information Management Tube Map

Navigating the complexities of Information Management and Data Governance

Those of you out there who know me, have been reading my blog posts (either here or on the MIKE2.0 site) or have been following me on Twitter and LinkedIn will know that I can bang on at some length about how Information Management/Data Governance is multi-faceted; that the interconnections between the component capabilities are complex and not hierarchical. 

But up until now, I've struggled to think of a way to represent all of the different aspects of the IM/DG agenda and show how they inter-relate. I’ve sometimes alluded to there being a network of relationship between elements, but this has been a fairly abstract concept that I’ve never been able to adequately illustrate.

Then just this week, Gary Allemann posted a guest article on Nicola Askham’s Blog, which made an analogy between Data Governance and the London Tube map. (Nicola also on Twitter. See also Gary Allemann's blog, Data Quality Matters.)

And in a moment of perspiration, I came up with this….

The “tube lines” represent different IM/DG competencies/capabilities, while the "stations" are indicative of more specific activities (and their associated deliverables or outputs).

This is very much a work-in-progress and I’m not saying it’s perfect by any stretch, but as a “Information Management Tube Map Version 0.1”, I hope it stimulates some thought and offers some form of anchor point for navigating the intricacies of and Enterprise approach to Information Management and Data Governance.

I’ll be developing this further as I go but in the meantime, please let me know what you think.

(NOTE: following on from SethGodin’ plea for more sharing of ideas, I am publishing the Information Management Tube Map under Creative Commons License Attribution Share-Alike V4.0 International. Please credit me where you use the concept, and I would appreciate it if you could reference back to me with any changes, suggestions or feedback. Thanks in advance.)

The (Data) Doctor Is In...

ADD looks for a data diagnosis...

Being a data management practitioner can be tough.

You're expected to work your data quality magic, solve other people's data problems, and help people get better business outcomes. It's a valuable, worthy and satisfying profession. But people can be infuriating and frustrating, especially when the business user isn't taking responsibility for their own data.

It's a bit like being a Medical Doctor in general practice.

The patent presents with some early indicative symptoms. The MD then performs a full diagnosis and recommends a course of treatment. It's then up to the patient whether or not they take their MD's advice...

AlanDDuncan: "Doctor, Doctor. I get very short of breath when I go upstairs."
MD: Yes, well. Your Body Mass Index is over 30, you've got consistently high blood pressure, your heatbeat is arrhythmic, and cholesterol levels are off the scale."
ADD: "So what does that mean, doctor?"
MD: "It means you're fat, you drink like a fish, you smoke like a chimney, your diet consists of fried food and cakes and you don't do any exercise."
ADD: "I'm Scottish."
MD: "You need to change your lifestyle completely, or you're going to die."
ADD: "Oh. So, can you give me some pills?...."

If you're going to get healthy with your data, you'll going to have to put the pies down, step away from the Martinis and get off the couch folks.

(Originally published on www.OpenMethodology.com)