How to Beat the Master Data Implementation Challenge

The challenge of a Master Data Management (MDM) implementation is not the IT aspects, but the organizational side. MD affects every business unit, large and small. Take Client as an example. Involved are Sales and Marketing, Operational departments like Production and Delivery, and Finance. Thus the MD project starts with the business case and finding the sponsor, and resizing the project to bring it down to manageable proportions: Clear goal, clear mile stones, and a clear start and end date. Some call that rightsizing…

An MD implementation is an ideal vehicle for any business unit to realize long standing wishes. The consequences are that in no time the MD Christmas tree will be glittering and shining with all sorts of balls and angels. It is 'normal' that you cannot see any green anymore, and that the tree is so heavy that is almost laying on the floor.

Now remember how we all started our lives: First we learned how to crawl, then walk, and at last we learned how to run. Can you imagine how it is to start with running, and keep falling all the time?

Therefore, my advise regarding a MD implementation is to organize a workshop with empowered representatives from all involved business units. In this preliminary project initiation definition phase, take your time to define clear goals and clear steps:

1. Discuss the business case and wrap-up.
2. Take the first approach to defining business requirements.
3. Continue your discussion with trying to get clear how the current manual process looks like. What information does it use? And what information does it produce? Who owns what? Who uses what? Wrap-up again.
4. Look again at the business requirements. Add a few more requirements as the result of the previous step. Divide them in classes: Need-to-have, Want-to-have, Nice-to-have.
5. Change gears, and leave the operational view, and enter the tactical view. Define Key Performance Indicators (KPI's). How could you organize a baseline measurement of the KPI's values. What would be your Soll-values? Wrap-up.
6. Review the business requirements, and review again the need, want, and nice classes.
7. Maybe it is now time to define a project to implement the changed manual process. Don't forget to discuss the process change in your process and/or IT governance board. This will provide you with a powerful sponsor and support to implement your enhanced MD process, even if some business unit has their doubts about your solution. You will be empowered to make the necessary decisions.

If you take this approach to MD implementation this route will make you arrive, instead of keep on traveling! The result will be better and more stable. Don't forget to measure the KPI's and check whether the improvements are as good as you expected. You may even consider to automate your MD process as soon as it has proved to be stable!

Have fun with your MDM project!

What are your challenges with (MD) projects? Can you beat them? And how do you manage to perform that? We are very interested to hear from you, and discuss this within the Results2Match Community!

This blog is part of a series on Information and Data Governance:

1. Data Governance for Dummies: Part 1 (Business Requirements)
2. Data Governance for Dummies: Part 2 (The Replica Data Security Solution)
3. Master Data: Business Asset or Cash-flow Burner?
4. How to Beat the Master Data Implementation Challenge (this blog)
5. Master Data Management and Information Modeling: End or Means
6. Information Governance Solves the Challenges of IT Governance and Data Governance! Or?
7. Reduce Complexity and Rise Your EBIT!

This blog is also part of series on project management. Other issues:

1. My Project Checklist
2. Driving change: On how to drive safely!
4. The Dutch General Accounting Agency reports project execution factors
5. The ROI on a project assessment, or if you know more, you need less
6. Where did I do wrong, and mess up my project
7. 8 (Eight!) Ways To Reduce Your ICT Management Costs, But Where Is the Low Hanging Fruit

Results2Match has a strong vision on proven and successful business management solutions and result driven implementations.

This blog is written by Hans Lodder. Hans is a very experienced management consultant and interim manager. You can contact Hans by email.