My notes for Standing up a Data Management Program

I started out considering MDM, but then…

I truly believe that the process is going to be the big differentiator in the Data Management space in IT. The technology will just aid the process. Actually, the process can commence before technology is ready and then technology can catch up easily. As I dug into this I realized that related processes should be defined so that an MDM process does not float by itself, a Data Quality process does not float by itself, a Governance process does not float by itself, etc.

Thus, I came up with the following proposal for:

Data Management: Data Governance, Data Quality, and Master Data Management – a Program:
3 Projects and 4 Ongoing Operational Processes are listed below. But more may be defined.

I began considering MDM and then my consideration grew to the entire Data Management space. The MDM process I set out to define, is thus Operational Process 2, undertaken in the context of related projects and processes that precede it.

Project 1: Formation of Data Governance, Data Quality, and Master Data Management teams and Standard Operating Procedures.

1. Data Management Team (DMT) formed; Mission: identify projects set priorities, select sub-teams.
2. DMT Develops Change Control Board (CCB) out of the Management Team.
3. DMT Develops Verification Group (VG) out of the Management Team.
4. DMT Develops Data Quality Group (DQG) out of the Data Management Team.
5. Data Governance Team (DGT) formed out of the Data Management Team.
6. DQG Selects and Documents Data Quality tools and processes
7. CCB Approves Data Quality tools and processes
8. DMT Develops Master Data Management Team (MDMT) out of the Data Management Team.
9. MDMT Selects and Documents MDM tools and processes
10. CCB Approves MDM tools and processes

Project 2: KPI Definitions

1. DGT Identifies, defines, and documents company-wide metrics and Key Performance Indicators.
2. DGT Assigns stewards to maintain definitions with the MDMT and the MDM tools and processes.
3. MDMT begins to work with the stewards, CCB, and VG to manage definitions according to MDM SOPs. (see Operational Process 2 below).
4. Reporting team publishes KPI Definitions for company-wide consumption.

Project 3: MDM analysis

1. MDMT Identifies and Documents entities sourced in various systems that need to be consistent.
2. MDMT Identifies and Documents entities sourced in various systems that DO NOT need to be consistent
3. DGT Approves analysis and initiates projects, and processes accordingly.

Operational Process 1: Data Quality Process

1. DQG Performs in source and/or cross source quality management (with DQ approved tools and processes)
2. Checks for Duplicates and Records missing identifying or categorical data, etc..
3. DQG Submits proposed changes to CCB
4. DQG Commits approved quality changes to production as per Data Quality process
5. VG verifies, accepts, and documents changes to production.

Operational Process 2: Master Data Management

1. MDMT gains approval from DGT to begin managing highest priority entities under MDM.
2. MDMT Gathers these entities into new master repository
3. MDMT Assigns Stewards to domains or entities for ongoing maintenance
4. Use Change Control software for handling MDM change requests
5. Use Change Control Board CCB for change request approval.
6. Stewards make changes in MDM repository
7. VG members review changes and approve them. The approval mechanism should automatically make the change “live” in production.

Operational Process 3: Reference Data Management

1. MDMT gains approval from DGT to begin managing single-source reference data under MDM…

Operational Process 4: Meta Data Management…