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• Cognizant 20-20 Insights




Implementing Enterprise MDM
Enterprise MDM can be a powerful lever in business transformation
programs, but only when companies establish a dedicated center of
excellence that aligns all MDM projects toward one common goal and
helps overcome hurdles along the way.

      Executive Summary                                       business transformation exercises to remain
                                                              nimble and competitive. The following hypotheti-
      With the advent of next-generation, multidomain
                                                              cal scenario depicts a typical challenge faced by
      master data management (MDM), it is now easier
                                                              many organizations today:
      than ever to consolidate and standardize business
      processes and technologies in large and medium          Alpha-Beta was formed a year back, following
      enterprises. It has long been acknowledged that         the merger of two competing companies, Alpha
      the true benefits of MDM can be realized only           and Beta. Following the first board meeting of
      when it is implemented across the enterprise and        the newly created entity, the CIO was asked to
      multiple lines of businesses, covering enterprise-      develop a medium-term IT-business transforma-
      wide data domains (customer, product, vendor,           tion roadmap to address the following issues:
      location, etc.), multiple use cases (operational,
      analytical, reporting, etc.) and multiple business      •	 Economies of scale in operations following the
      areas (sales, marketing, risk and compliance,             merger of Alpha and Beta.
      service, etc.).
                                                              •	 Synergies  for cross-sell and up-sell among
      This white paper reveals why an enterprise MDM,           existing customers of the now defunct
      coupled with a comprehensive and integrated               individual companies.
      data governance environment, can more easily            •	 Legacy system integration and streamlining of
      facilitate seamless information flow from the             the application landscape of the new company.
      front office to the middle office to the back office,
      and vice versa. This, in turn, can act as a powerful    •	 Compliance
                                                                          and regulatory reporting for the
                                                                new company.
      lever in the overall business transformation
      exercise.                                               While the CIO was happy that the executive
                                                              leadership of Alpha-Beta acknowledged the
      Business Transformation through                         importance of IT in solving the most important
      Enterprise MDM                                          business transformation challenges at his
      An uncertain economic climate and increasing            company, he was particularly disturbed by a
      consolidation of business processes and tech-           comment in the meeting that “data would be
      nologies across the globe have resulted in many         owned and maintained by IT.”
      large and medium organizations embarking on



      cognizant 20-20 insights | december 2012
Through his years of experience running IT-busi-           •	 Organizations     that have realized the
           ness transformation programs at other large                    importance of MDM for their long-term
           and medium-sized companies, the CIO knows                      business efficiencies are often unsure of how
           that data drives business decisions and is the                 to undertake the actual journey.
           lifeblood of an organization. An integral part of
           any business transformation exercise is the con-
                                                                      •	 Organizations that have started the imple-
                                                                          mentation sooner or later realize that
           solidation of data and the creation of a “gold
                                                                          executing an enterprise MDM initiative is much
           copy,” or a single version of the truth, of the
                                                                          more difficult and challenging than it looks on
           most critical data attributes (master data) that
                                                                          paper.
           are referenced by many of the systems used to
           inform operational decisions. An MDM program,              •	 Organizations      that have multiple MDM
                            therefore, should act as the lever            projects in parallel often lack a formal body
                                                                          to govern different programs, resulting in
  An MDM program driving a business transforma-
                            tion exercise and not a scaffold              duplicate efforts, wasted resources, conflicts of
      should act as supporting the transformation.                        interest, etc.
   the lever driving As a result, the processes and                   •	 Organizations     that have avoided these
         a business data management around this
                            transformation should be owned
                                                                          roadblocks may still find it easier said than
                                                                          done to get employees to treat information as
    transformation as much by business as by IT.                          an asset and key stakeholders to see MDM as a
 exercise and not a                                                       business enabler.
                                MDM has not always been as
scaffold supporting             comprehensive in solving enter-       Understanding the Challenges
the transformation.             prise-wide business transforma-       Overcoming these hurdles requires a holistic
                                tion problems as it has become        approach. It is not just about data management;
               over the past couple of years. Both process and        it is about the culture inculcated in the enterprise.
               technology consolidations have been improved           To understand the benefits that enterprise MDM
               with the advent of multidomain MDM1 — which is a       entails, we need to view MDM through a very
               leap ahead of the traditional approach of a single-    different prism:
               domain, single-business-unit, single-location MDM.
                                                                      •	 The scope of MDM efforts is often cross-func-
               While multi-domain MDM is certainly more                   tional, if not cross-enterprise.
               effective2 than its predecessors, it is not an over-
               the-counter panacea for all business transforma-
                                                                      •	 Due   to the significant cost of entry from a
                                                                          software and services standpoint, MDM will
               tions. There are many challenges to be addressed           return the greatest value when leveraging
               before an organization can effectively use a               economies of scale.
               multi-domain MDM solution to drive its business
               transformation program. However, it certainly can      •	 The greater the adoption of an MDM solution
               be a lever, and a very strong lever at that, if used       across multiple and disparate parts of the orga-
               effectively.                                               nization, the lower the cost of ownership and
                                                                          the higher the ROI that can be realized.3
               Multi-Domain MDM Challenges                            •	 An MDM “program” is rarely a one-time, do-it-
               As the emergence of multidomain MDM has                    and-forget-it implementation — it is an enter-
               broadened its scope and applicability, it has also         prise-wide initiative typically involving multiple
               created certain challenges:                                waves of implementation and not merely a
                                                                          project.
               •	 Defining MDM utilities in business language
                 and linking them to business processes is            •	 It is important for stakeholders to understand
                 challenging. It is equally difficult to measure          that MDM is a culture and not just a technology.
                 process improvements in terms of business                For the success of long-term MDM programs,
                 KPIs and convert these metrics into dollars;             and to take in stride the organizational changes
                 hence, calculating the ROI of an MDM program             and challenges, it is important to imbibe the
                 is still a puzzle to most organizations.                 MDM culture.

               •	 The  time and cost of an MDM program is             •	 To achieve the desired end-state for the MDM
                                                                          program, it is also important to lay out the
                 often considered to be a hindrance to organiza-
                                                                          long-term strategic roadmap and discover how
                 tions that have a short-term view of managing
                                                                          different MDM projects align with related initia-
                 their data.
                                                                          tives for achieving this end-state.


                                       cognizant 20-20 insights       2
•	 The organization needs self-sustaining and          requires a structured approach and the establish-
  in-house data governance, process governance         ment of an organization within an organization —
  and PMO capabilities to kick-start the MDM           a dedicated team that lives, breathes and dreams
  program and to grow and reach the desired            MDM throughout the rollout. This dedicated team
  end-state. To do this, it is important to manage     will form an MDM center of
  information as an asset.                             excellence for the various An MDM CoE ensures
                                                       MDM projects within the orga- the MDM program
Addressing the Challenges                              nization; align and prioritize
Understanding the new challenges around mul-           them toward one common
                                                                                         does not suffer the
tidomain MDM is only the first step toward             goal; and be prepared to fate of so many
addressing the underlying issues. Implementing         overcome the hurdles along other complex IT
an enterprise MDM program is a totally different       the way.
ballgame for organizations accustomed to enti-                                           implementation
ty-specific and location-specific MDM projects.        Establishing an                   projects that start on
There are many underlying risks, and to mitigate       MDM CoE                           a high note but fizzle
these risks, we need to keep a few best practices      An MDM CoE is a dedicated
and critical success factors in mind, including the    organization that ensures
                                                                                         due to the lack of
following:                                             the MDM program does not          requisite support and
•	 Always define the entire program in multiple        suffer the fate of so many        guidance from the
                                                       other complex, big-budget IT
  projects, and define each project in smaller
                                                       implementation projects that
                                                                                         business.
  phases.
                                                       start on a high note but fizzle
•	 Start small:                                        due to the lack of requisite support and guidance
   >> Pick a line of business and business drivers.    from the business.
   >> Consider the easiest implementation style        An MDM CoE accomplishes the following:
      that delivers business value.

   >> Consider  real-time continuous conversion        •	 Provides MDM as a service to achieve early and
      instead of full batch load.                          tangible returns on investment.

   >> Consider   full batch load without cleanse/      •	 Provides end-to-end MDM support in terms of
      merge/match/link. Provide cleanse/merge              the people, process and technology necessary
      /match/link /load capabilities on-demand             to meet the MDM vision of an organization.
      after the system goes live.                      •	 Delivers    a shared business service that
                                                           provides guidance around MDM discovery,
•	 Involve business users throughout the program,          strategy, roadmap, governance and implemen-
  from planning to execution.
                                                           tation based on industry best practices through
•	 Enlistsenior-level executive support and, if
                                                           a one-stop-shop approach.
  required, leverage their buy-in to get things
  moving.                                              •	 Ensures that different mini-MDM projects in an
                                                           organization are all in sync and gains business
•	 Implement data governance; define/refine
                                                           buy-in at every stage of the program. This
  corporate policies, standards and business
                                                           requires a governance body that comprises
  rules.
                                                           all stakeholders to oversee the execution and
•	 Be prepared to change business processes for            appraise the effectiveness of the MDM program.
  better outcomes.
                                                       CoE Objectives
•	 Measure data quality issues and successes.          Among many other long-term strategic benefits,
•	 Communicate, communicate, communicate.              an MDM CoE will help meet the following
•	 Enlist experienced MDM implementers — people        objectives:
  with a holistic view.
                                                       •	 Lay   out the long-term strategic roadmap/
•	 Choose the right MDM solution that can handle           desired MDM end-state for the organization,
  current and future needs: Multidomain MDM.               as well as how different MDM projects would
Our experience tells us that MDM is not just               align to meet this end-state.
another IT project — it is often as complicated and    •	 Socialize the enterprise MDM vision within
as risky as an ERP project. But if it is successful,       the organization to realize maximum business
the rewards will be equally big. To accomplish this        value.


                          cognizant 20-20 insights     3
•	 Ensure   that data governance, process                                                   •	 Reduce total cost of development and time-
  governance and PMO guidelines are in place                                                     to-market through identification, development
  to help achieve these long-term objectives.                                                    and maintenance of reusable MDM assets.
•	 Make sure the data infrastructure architec-                                              •	 Ensure that all prerequisites are met prior to
  ture can accommodate acquisitions.                                                             the next project kick-off to facilitate smooth
•	 Embrace MDM as a shared services                                                              execution of subsequent MDM projects.
   platform, which will help the business achieve
   its long-term MDM vision.
                                                                                            •	 Ensure that the learning and best practices
                                                                                                 from every project are scaled up and dissemi-
•	 Set up the process through which stakehold-                                                   nated across the MDM program.
   ers across the organization can request MDM
   services and benefit from MDM.                                                           MDM CoE Operating Model
                                                                                            Figure 1 describes the standard MDM CoE target
•	 Support consistent and successful delivery                                               operating model. This model is built with a combi-
  of all MDM applications across the organiza-
  tion.                                                                                     nation of a factory model and a set of governance
                                                                                            forums. The factory portion contributes the
•	 Create guidelines for architecture, technol-                                             operational efficiencies of utilizing attributes
  ogy and processes, keeping in view the “big
                                                                                            such as repeatability and reusability of artifacts
  picture.”
                                                                                            and utilization of the same resource for the same
•	 Build   organizational MDM capabilities                                                  task (i.e., leveraging the learning curve and stan-
  through mentoring, training and direct project                                            dardization of templates, as well as establishing
  support.                                                                                  standard operating processes). The factory also




MDM CoE Target Operating Model

                                                                                                    Business/Technology Office
                                                                                                           • Demand Request
                             Business H
                                      Head                 Technology Head
                                                                ology
                                                                 l                                         • MDM Project Sponsor
                                                                          Request for New Project

                           MDM CoE                                                                                      MDM Steering Committee
                                                                                         MDM CoE       MDM Global            • Overall Governance
                                                                                           Lead          Lead                • Budget Approval

                                                                                                                        MDM Change Management,
                                                                                         Change &
                                                                                          hang          MDM Lead        Board & Estimation
                                                     MDM Program                          Release        Architect           • Change Request
                             Project Manager         & Release                           Manager
                                                                                                                             • Release Management
                                                     Management Board
                                                     • Project Management
                                                      & RAIDS Management                                                MDM Tech Advisory Board
                         Application   Technical                                        Enterprise   MDM Lead
                         Developer     Architect     • Release Management              MDM Architect Business
                                                                                                                             • Architecture Review
                                                                                                      Analyst                • Scope Feasibility
                            Project Update                                                             Project Requirements


                                               MDM Factory Model                                                           Project Deployment
                                           Resource Engine Core-Flexi Model
                               Competency Teams: Data Stage, Analysts, Testers, Data Stewards
                                                             Shops
                                                                                                                      Project 1      Project 2       Project 3
     Iterative Process




                                                                                                                     UAT — Go Live   UAT — Go Live   UAT — Go Live
                               Requirements &              Build           Testing        Validation
                               Detailed Design

                                                    Factory Production Line



                              Knowledge        Process &      Domain      Engagement     Technology
                              Repository         Tools        Expertise   Governance        CoEs
                                                 Infrastructure Support
                                                   Production Support




Figure 1



                                       cognizant 20-20 insights                              4
utilizes the core-flexi model4 to balance resource        output is the software implemented in the live
requirements.                                             environment.
                                                          The entire production of the whole project must
Each of the governance forums, meanwhile, has
                                                          pass through all the shops over the course of
specific objectives and is formed with relevant
                                                          a few months; all subsequent changes also
people from inside and outside the MDM CoE. The
                                                          must go through all the shops in the course of
outcome of one forum can be used as an input for
                                                          a few weeks. The objective of the production
others. Each forum has its own agenda, activities,
                                                          line is to increase the efficiency of a factory by
SLAs, workflows and governance body. Generally,
                                                          delivering output(s) every day.
any process — such as new project on-boarding,
change approval, release planning, etc. — goes            When MDM is in full swing, there will be
through the appropriate governance forums, and            multiple MDM projects going on in parallel, and
every forum must act on a certain part (or parts)         different projects will be at different stages of
of the processes.                                         production. In other words, some projects may
                                                          be in the requirements phase, while others may
There are also a few processes, such as archi-            be in the development or testing phases. This
tecture decision-making, that are completed in            means that shops need to work concurrently
their entirety by a particular forum. The overall         and sequence their tasks. There may also be
objectives of multiple forums include:                    a scenario where a single shop must handle
                                                          testing for multiple projects. The varying
•	 Identifying and segregating the important
                                                          workloads of every shop at different points in
  activities and decision-making processes
                                                          time is taken care of by the core-flexi model.
  and providing a focused forum for relevant
  people to act on them.                              3.	Competency centers, such as a knowledge
                                                          repository, product, tools, domain expertise,
•	 Speeding   the entire process by creating
                                                          etc. These competency centers maintain and
  separate forums that can work in parallel on
                                                          share their knowledge of processes, meth-
  different issues and facilitate agile decision-
                                                          odologies, tools and best practices in their
  making.
                                                          respective areas. Any of the shops within the
•	 Bringing the right level of agility and                governance forum can use the services of
  governance by federation.                               these competency centers. The competency
                                                          centers provide the best-in-class practices of
MDM Factory Model                                         MDM program management and delivery.
The MDM factory model includes four compo-
nents:
                                                      4.	Shared services, such as infrastructure
                                                          support and production support. These shared
1.	 A set of specialized shops within the factory.        services work with all the shops at various
  The shops are logically placed in sequence, in          stages of the project lifecycle and provide
  a production-like line. The examples of various         necessary support in areas such as infrastruc-
  shops include requirements analysis, design             ture planning, on-boarding, management,
  and architecture, development, etc. Each                product roll-out, bug fixing, etc. The shared
  shop has a group of resources trained on the            services model ensures that the support in
  particular subject and methodology, as well as          these areas is consistent, continuous and
  ready-to-use templates, tools and accelerators          standard for all the groups. It also ensures that
  to carry out the tasks in that shop.                    issues are quickly resolved through a single
                                                          service group. This streamlines the overall
2.	The factory production line. All shops are
                                                          governance process.
  placed in a logical sequence so the output of
  one shop can be the input of the next shop.         Governance Forum
  The shops can also work on parallel tasks.          There are four major governance forums:
  The production line works as it would within
  a manufacturing company. For example, at an
                                                      •	 The    MDM steering committee provides
                                                          oversight and helps monitor and manage the
  automobile company, the final output of the
                                                          enterprise MDM program from tactical and
  production line is an assembled car, and the
                                                          strategic standpoints.
  first input is raw material. Similarly, the first
  input in the MDM factory is production scope        •	 The MDM change management board details
  and business requirements, and the final                an effective MDM change management process




                      cognizant 20-20 insights        5
MDM in the Enterprise

                          MDM CoE Governance Council: Senior Sponsorship




                 Business Organization        MDM CoE Champion                    IT and Support
                                                 MDM          MDM
                       Business               Architecture   Delivery                    IT
                                                                                 DBAs, Tech Support,
                       Sponsors                                                    Data Operations,
                                                  MDM         MDM                Application Architect
                                                             Business
                                               Integration   Analyst


                        Source                                                        Support
                                                 Data Governance
                       Systems                                                        HRTraining
                                                    & Quality




                                           Downstream Systems
                                                  Data Consumers




Figure 2




  to reduce the risks and costs associated with              MDM champion isn’t just a cog in the MDM wheel
  the changes during the enterprise MDM rollout.             of an enterprise but a pivot around which the
  It helps the rollout deliver an increased and              end-to-end MDM program rolls out.
  early ROI by reducing both the time-to-value
  and time-to-market of an enterprise MDM                    Since the MDM CoE champion plays a pivotal
  rollout.                                                   role in the success of an enterprise MDM rollout,
                                                             this individual should have the following respon-
•	 The MDM architecture advisory board works                 sibilities:
  closely with the organization to gather the
  exact requirements and lay out a roadmap for               •	 Socialize the concept of MDM in the organiza-
  the rollout of MDM across the enterprise. It will              tion.
  also address key rollout issues.                           •	 Develop     the enterprise MDM vision and
•	 The MDM program and release management                        establish the MDM objective.
  board ensures that the enterprise MDM                      •	 Obtain   senior management sponsorship and
  initiative is sufficiently detailed to support the             build the business case for MDM.
  creation of a feasible and measurable plan with
  a specific timeline. The board is also respon-             •	 Provide leadership in building the MDM strategy
                                                                 and roadmap.
  sible for creating a proper plan and support
  structure on the operational procedures to                 •	 Facilitate   the process of selecting the MDM
  ensure that the organization is prepared for a                 software,     consulting and implementation
  seamless execution of its MDM rollouts.                        partner.

MDM CoE Champion: Key to an Enterprise MDM                   •	 Participate in various enterprise-level technol-
                                                                 ogy roadmaps, architecture strategy, technol-
Program’s Success
                                                                 ogy council and other project board meetings
The MDM CoE is headed by an MDM champion:
                                                                 to understand the requirements and position
the person promoting MDM throughout the
                                                                 the MDM solution.
organization. Typically, this person is respon-
sible for business or technology solutions across            •	 Generate demand for MDM, secure funds and
the organization and can influence enterprise-                   oversee the MDM solution delivery.
level decision-making and participate in various             •	 Participate in governance council meetings for
senior-level business and technology forums. The                 enterprise-level MDM program governance.




                       cognizant 20-20 insights              6
Tips for Delivering a Successful                           is overly tactical and assembled in discon-
Enterprise MDM Solution                                    nected, multiple phases.
As discussed earlier, a successful enterprise MDM       >> Adopt  various architectural styles during
implementation requires thorough groundwork                the phased implementation and build the
and a set of clearly defined steps to overcome             end-state MDM architecture to meet the
the inevitable hurdles. While many challenges are          enterprise information architecture re-
specific to an organization, some of the “must-            quirements.
have” steps to ensure enterprise MDM success
include:
                                                    •	 Identify   the first MDM business project
                                                        sponsor and then create a pipeline of
                                                        projects:
•	 Clarify what you mean by an MDM solution
  to business and IT: Set the MDM vision.               >> Carefully identify the first program to
                                                           launch MDM in the organization; the suc-
  >> MDM requirements can be operational (i.e.,            cess of MDM in the enterprise will largely
     running the business) or analytical (i.e.,
                                                           depend on the success of the first project.
     reporting on the business), or they can be
     used for combining scenarios or use cases.         >> Socialize MDM within the organization and
                                                           identify ongoing and future projects that
  >> Focus on business-oriented scenarios and              can benefit from MDM.
     align the MDM vision with your organiza-
     tion’s short-term and long-term business       •	 Build  a shared service model of MDM to
     objectives.                                        maximize the benefits of MDM and share
                                                        costs among divisions:
•	 Gainhigh-level MDM program sponsorship
  and business buy-in:                                  >> Institutionalize MDM in the organization by
                                                           creating an MDM CoE.
  >> Set  revenue/cost management goals for
     the program.                                       >> Identifyan MDM champion and create a
                                                           long-term MDM roadmap.
  >> Focus on business-oriented scenarios.
  >> Obtain several sponsors throughout      the    A Way Forward
     organization.                                  The hypothetical dilemma faced by the CIO at
•	 Build a business case for enterprise MDM:        Alpha-Beta is commonplace at many large and
                                                    medium-sized organizations, typically in the
  >> Demonstrate   where revenue enhance-
                                                    consolidation and rationalization phase of their
     ments will come from and how costs can
                                                    business and IT evolution. As organizations
     be reduced when establishing the business
                                                    evolve and grow, they find it increasingly difficult
     case for MDM.
                                                    to manage their master
  >> Demonstrate tangible returns from MDM.         data. As bad data drives As bad data drives bad
  >> Look for business opportunities across the     bad business decisions,
                                                    managing data effectively business decisions,
     value chain.
                                                    is critical to driving larger managing data
•	 Deliver value early and often, and view MDM      business transformation ini- effectively is critical to
  as part of a larger enterprise information        tiatives, since any business
  management strategy:                              process      would    involve driving larger business
  >> Design and implement an MDM program in         master data in some form or transformation
     small phases to deliver business value early   another.                         initiatives, since any
     and at every phase and ask for funding in
     phases.                                        Managing master data at business process would
                                                    an enterprise level is tricky, involve master data in
  >> Identify the cross-functional and cross-       and it calls for an enterprise
     departmental use cases that will deliver       MDM program. However, due
                                                                                     some form or another.
     business value to multiple operations.         to the very nature of an MDM
•	 Alignthe technology architecture of your         program, it is extremely difficult to anticipate and
  MDM implementation with your long-term            address the challenges if organizations jump
  information infrastructure strategy:              into a series of implementations without the
                                                    proper groundwork. Therefore, before embarking
  >> Build  toward the long-term vision and
                                                    on an ambitious enterprise MDM program, it is
     strategy; don’t settle for an approach that


                      cognizant 20-20 insights      7
important to lay the foundation through a robust         foundation and finding the right MDM champion.
CoE structure and build upon it through multiple         This is not easy, but it can be done if the afore-
iterations to ensure rollout success.                    mentioned steps are faithfully followed. Figure 3
                                                         lays out cases where we have helped our clients
Pulling off a true enterprise-level MDM-enabled          succeed with their enterprise MDM initiatives.
business transformation is as much about immac-
ulate planning as it is about laying a strong CoE



MDM Initiatives in Action
     Project Type         Client Descriptions                              Highlights
 MDM CoE for             World’s largest provider   •	 Set up MDM CoE and made it operational with ongoing
 Merchant Master         of merchant processing       activities related to governance of MDM, which led to
                         services                     implementing best practices, planning, data governance
                                                      guide and performance considerations.

                                                    •	 MDM CoE provided process definitions, data ownership
                                                      rules, change management, release management,
                                                      execution methodology and acceptance criteria.

                                                    •	 This ensured seamless adoption of MDM across the
                                                      organization.

 MDM CoE for             A leading provider of      •	 Implemented MDM CoE, which helped in monitoring and
 Strategic Program       prescription and related     managing the MDM program from both a tactical and
 Management              healthcare services          strategic standpoint.

                                                    •	 Provided overall supervision and helped monitor
                                                      and manage MDM program from both a tactical and
                                                      strategic standpoint.

                                                    •	 Prepared an exact roadmap for rollout, addressing key
                                                      rollout issues.

                                                    •	 Helped create new competencies and support for MDM
                                                      processes and services to ensure a smooth and high-
                                                      quality delivery.

 MDM CoE for             A leading manufac-         •	 Implemented MDM CoE, which laid out the long-term
 Long-Term Strategic     turing and retailing         strategic roadmap to ensure data governance, process
 Roadmap                 corporation of construc-     governance and PMO guidelines are in place.
                         tion material, glass and
                         abrasives                  •	 Organizational capabilities built into MDM through
                                                      mentoring, training and direct project support.

                                                    •	 Total cost of development and total time to market
                                                      reduced through identification, development and main-
                                                      tenance of reusable MDM assets.

 Scalable DQ CoE         A leading UK banking       •	 Implemented data quality (DQ) CoE, which provided
                         company                      the basic data quality service and acted as a complete,
                                                      robust and scalable model, providing a gamut of other
                                                      specialized services to address the need of increasing
                                                      data quality requirements.

                                                    •	 Prepared proof of concept and final report for priority
                                                      services.

                                                    •	 DQ CoE monitored and managed engagements and
                                                      ensured successful DQ processes and services imple-
                                                      mentation.

Figure 3




                       cognizant 20-20 insights          8
Footnotes
1	
     Multidomain MDM is a solution for mastering multiple data domains and managing their
     inter-relationships.
2	
     Marty Mosely, “The Benefits of Multidomain MDM: Transactional and Analytical,” Mastering Data
     Management, Sept. 17, 2009, http://www.masteringdatamanagement.com/index.php/2009/09/17/part-
     3-the-benefits-of-multidomain-mdm-transactional-and-analytical.
3	
     “Building the Business Case for Master Data Management,” Oracle Corp., April 2009,
     http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/insight/business-case-mdm-wp-171711.pdf.
4	
     The core-flexi model involves a core team in every shop, as well as an extended team. The core team is
     the permanent team, and its resources remain in the shop throughout the program to complete their
     work. Based on workload, the resources for the extended team are augmented by the larger CoE. Every
     shop has a bootcamp to quickly on-board new resources in the extended team and then deploy them on
     projects. By leveraging the core-flexi model, the resource ramp-up and ramp-down is rigorously managed
     to optimize resource utilization.




About the Authors
Souparna Giri is the Lead Business Consultant and Senior Manager in Cognizant’s MDM Strategic
Advisory Services team, with over 10 years of experience in the IT field. His expertise spans MDM strategy,
assessment and roadmap creation; business process modeling; data governance; business process
understanding and feasibility studies; vendor evaluation; gap analysis; requirements analysis; functional
specification design; and MDM implementation and program governance. Souparna has rich domain
experience in CRM and MDM within the banking and financial services industry. He has a bachelor’s
degree in mechanical engineering from Bengal Engineering College and an M.B.A. in marketing from
Great Lakes Institute of Management. Souparna can be reached at Souparna.Giri@cognizant.com.

Vaibhav Kumar is a Senior Consultant in Cognizant’s MDM Strategic Advisory Services team, with over
five years of experience in the strategic IT consulting industry. Vaibhav has rich experience in strategiz-
ing MDM and data governance roadmaps and rollouts in the retail, manufacturing, media and entertain-
ment and hospitality industries and has worked at multiple client locations in the UK and Continental
Europe. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Manipal Institute of
Technology, Manipal, and an M.B.A. in strategy and marketing from the Indian Institute of Management,
Calcutta. He can be reached at Vaibhav.Kumar3@cognizant.com.




About Cognizant
Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process out-
sourcing services, dedicated to helping the world’s leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in
Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry
and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 50
delivery centers worldwide and approximately 150,400 employees as of September 30, 2012, Cognizant is a member of
the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing
and fastest growing companies in the world. Visit us online at  www.cognizant.com or follow us on Twitter: Cognizant.


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©
­­ Copyright 2012, Cognizant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission from Cognizant. The information contained herein is
subject to change without notice. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.

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Implementing Enterprise MDM

  • 1. • Cognizant 20-20 Insights Implementing Enterprise MDM Enterprise MDM can be a powerful lever in business transformation programs, but only when companies establish a dedicated center of excellence that aligns all MDM projects toward one common goal and helps overcome hurdles along the way. Executive Summary business transformation exercises to remain nimble and competitive. The following hypotheti- With the advent of next-generation, multidomain cal scenario depicts a typical challenge faced by master data management (MDM), it is now easier many organizations today: than ever to consolidate and standardize business processes and technologies in large and medium Alpha-Beta was formed a year back, following enterprises. It has long been acknowledged that the merger of two competing companies, Alpha the true benefits of MDM can be realized only and Beta. Following the first board meeting of when it is implemented across the enterprise and the newly created entity, the CIO was asked to multiple lines of businesses, covering enterprise- develop a medium-term IT-business transforma- wide data domains (customer, product, vendor, tion roadmap to address the following issues: location, etc.), multiple use cases (operational, analytical, reporting, etc.) and multiple business • Economies of scale in operations following the areas (sales, marketing, risk and compliance, merger of Alpha and Beta. service, etc.). • Synergies for cross-sell and up-sell among This white paper reveals why an enterprise MDM, existing customers of the now defunct coupled with a comprehensive and integrated individual companies. data governance environment, can more easily • Legacy system integration and streamlining of facilitate seamless information flow from the the application landscape of the new company. front office to the middle office to the back office, and vice versa. This, in turn, can act as a powerful • Compliance and regulatory reporting for the new company. lever in the overall business transformation exercise. While the CIO was happy that the executive leadership of Alpha-Beta acknowledged the Business Transformation through importance of IT in solving the most important Enterprise MDM business transformation challenges at his An uncertain economic climate and increasing company, he was particularly disturbed by a consolidation of business processes and tech- comment in the meeting that “data would be nologies across the globe have resulted in many owned and maintained by IT.” large and medium organizations embarking on cognizant 20-20 insights | december 2012
  • 2. Through his years of experience running IT-busi- • Organizations that have realized the ness transformation programs at other large importance of MDM for their long-term and medium-sized companies, the CIO knows business efficiencies are often unsure of how that data drives business decisions and is the to undertake the actual journey. lifeblood of an organization. An integral part of any business transformation exercise is the con- • Organizations that have started the imple- mentation sooner or later realize that solidation of data and the creation of a “gold executing an enterprise MDM initiative is much copy,” or a single version of the truth, of the more difficult and challenging than it looks on most critical data attributes (master data) that paper. are referenced by many of the systems used to inform operational decisions. An MDM program, • Organizations that have multiple MDM therefore, should act as the lever projects in parallel often lack a formal body to govern different programs, resulting in An MDM program driving a business transforma- tion exercise and not a scaffold duplicate efforts, wasted resources, conflicts of should act as supporting the transformation. interest, etc. the lever driving As a result, the processes and • Organizations that have avoided these a business data management around this transformation should be owned roadblocks may still find it easier said than done to get employees to treat information as transformation as much by business as by IT. an asset and key stakeholders to see MDM as a exercise and not a business enabler. MDM has not always been as scaffold supporting comprehensive in solving enter- Understanding the Challenges the transformation. prise-wide business transforma- Overcoming these hurdles requires a holistic tion problems as it has become approach. It is not just about data management; over the past couple of years. Both process and it is about the culture inculcated in the enterprise. technology consolidations have been improved To understand the benefits that enterprise MDM with the advent of multidomain MDM1 — which is a entails, we need to view MDM through a very leap ahead of the traditional approach of a single- different prism: domain, single-business-unit, single-location MDM. • The scope of MDM efforts is often cross-func- While multi-domain MDM is certainly more tional, if not cross-enterprise. effective2 than its predecessors, it is not an over- the-counter panacea for all business transforma- • Due to the significant cost of entry from a software and services standpoint, MDM will tions. There are many challenges to be addressed return the greatest value when leveraging before an organization can effectively use a economies of scale. multi-domain MDM solution to drive its business transformation program. However, it certainly can • The greater the adoption of an MDM solution be a lever, and a very strong lever at that, if used across multiple and disparate parts of the orga- effectively. nization, the lower the cost of ownership and the higher the ROI that can be realized.3 Multi-Domain MDM Challenges • An MDM “program” is rarely a one-time, do-it- As the emergence of multidomain MDM has and-forget-it implementation — it is an enter- broadened its scope and applicability, it has also prise-wide initiative typically involving multiple created certain challenges: waves of implementation and not merely a project. • Defining MDM utilities in business language and linking them to business processes is • It is important for stakeholders to understand challenging. It is equally difficult to measure that MDM is a culture and not just a technology. process improvements in terms of business For the success of long-term MDM programs, KPIs and convert these metrics into dollars; and to take in stride the organizational changes hence, calculating the ROI of an MDM program and challenges, it is important to imbibe the is still a puzzle to most organizations. MDM culture. • The time and cost of an MDM program is • To achieve the desired end-state for the MDM program, it is also important to lay out the often considered to be a hindrance to organiza- long-term strategic roadmap and discover how tions that have a short-term view of managing different MDM projects align with related initia- their data. tives for achieving this end-state. cognizant 20-20 insights 2
  • 3. • The organization needs self-sustaining and requires a structured approach and the establish- in-house data governance, process governance ment of an organization within an organization — and PMO capabilities to kick-start the MDM a dedicated team that lives, breathes and dreams program and to grow and reach the desired MDM throughout the rollout. This dedicated team end-state. To do this, it is important to manage will form an MDM center of information as an asset. excellence for the various An MDM CoE ensures MDM projects within the orga- the MDM program Addressing the Challenges nization; align and prioritize Understanding the new challenges around mul- them toward one common does not suffer the tidomain MDM is only the first step toward goal; and be prepared to fate of so many addressing the underlying issues. Implementing overcome the hurdles along other complex IT an enterprise MDM program is a totally different the way. ballgame for organizations accustomed to enti- implementation ty-specific and location-specific MDM projects. Establishing an projects that start on There are many underlying risks, and to mitigate MDM CoE a high note but fizzle these risks, we need to keep a few best practices An MDM CoE is a dedicated and critical success factors in mind, including the organization that ensures due to the lack of following: the MDM program does not requisite support and • Always define the entire program in multiple suffer the fate of so many guidance from the other complex, big-budget IT projects, and define each project in smaller implementation projects that business. phases. start on a high note but fizzle • Start small: due to the lack of requisite support and guidance >> Pick a line of business and business drivers. from the business. >> Consider the easiest implementation style An MDM CoE accomplishes the following: that delivers business value. >> Consider real-time continuous conversion • Provides MDM as a service to achieve early and instead of full batch load. tangible returns on investment. >> Consider full batch load without cleanse/ • Provides end-to-end MDM support in terms of merge/match/link. Provide cleanse/merge the people, process and technology necessary /match/link /load capabilities on-demand to meet the MDM vision of an organization. after the system goes live. • Delivers a shared business service that provides guidance around MDM discovery, • Involve business users throughout the program, strategy, roadmap, governance and implemen- from planning to execution. tation based on industry best practices through • Enlistsenior-level executive support and, if a one-stop-shop approach. required, leverage their buy-in to get things moving. • Ensures that different mini-MDM projects in an organization are all in sync and gains business • Implement data governance; define/refine buy-in at every stage of the program. This corporate policies, standards and business requires a governance body that comprises rules. all stakeholders to oversee the execution and • Be prepared to change business processes for appraise the effectiveness of the MDM program. better outcomes. CoE Objectives • Measure data quality issues and successes. Among many other long-term strategic benefits, • Communicate, communicate, communicate. an MDM CoE will help meet the following • Enlist experienced MDM implementers — people objectives: with a holistic view. • Lay out the long-term strategic roadmap/ • Choose the right MDM solution that can handle desired MDM end-state for the organization, current and future needs: Multidomain MDM. as well as how different MDM projects would Our experience tells us that MDM is not just align to meet this end-state. another IT project — it is often as complicated and • Socialize the enterprise MDM vision within as risky as an ERP project. But if it is successful, the organization to realize maximum business the rewards will be equally big. To accomplish this value. cognizant 20-20 insights 3
  • 4. • Ensure that data governance, process • Reduce total cost of development and time- governance and PMO guidelines are in place to-market through identification, development to help achieve these long-term objectives. and maintenance of reusable MDM assets. • Make sure the data infrastructure architec- • Ensure that all prerequisites are met prior to ture can accommodate acquisitions. the next project kick-off to facilitate smooth • Embrace MDM as a shared services execution of subsequent MDM projects. platform, which will help the business achieve its long-term MDM vision. • Ensure that the learning and best practices from every project are scaled up and dissemi- • Set up the process through which stakehold- nated across the MDM program. ers across the organization can request MDM services and benefit from MDM. MDM CoE Operating Model Figure 1 describes the standard MDM CoE target • Support consistent and successful delivery operating model. This model is built with a combi- of all MDM applications across the organiza- tion. nation of a factory model and a set of governance forums. The factory portion contributes the • Create guidelines for architecture, technol- operational efficiencies of utilizing attributes ogy and processes, keeping in view the “big such as repeatability and reusability of artifacts picture.” and utilization of the same resource for the same • Build organizational MDM capabilities task (i.e., leveraging the learning curve and stan- through mentoring, training and direct project dardization of templates, as well as establishing support. standard operating processes). The factory also MDM CoE Target Operating Model Business/Technology Office • Demand Request Business H Head Technology Head ology l • MDM Project Sponsor Request for New Project MDM CoE MDM Steering Committee MDM CoE MDM Global • Overall Governance Lead Lead • Budget Approval MDM Change Management, Change & hang MDM Lead Board & Estimation MDM Program Release Architect • Change Request Project Manager & Release Manager • Release Management Management Board • Project Management & RAIDS Management MDM Tech Advisory Board Application Technical Enterprise MDM Lead Developer Architect • Release Management MDM Architect Business • Architecture Review Analyst • Scope Feasibility Project Update Project Requirements MDM Factory Model Project Deployment Resource Engine Core-Flexi Model Competency Teams: Data Stage, Analysts, Testers, Data Stewards Shops Project 1 Project 2 Project 3 Iterative Process UAT — Go Live UAT — Go Live UAT — Go Live Requirements & Build Testing Validation Detailed Design Factory Production Line Knowledge Process & Domain Engagement Technology Repository Tools Expertise Governance CoEs Infrastructure Support Production Support Figure 1 cognizant 20-20 insights 4
  • 5. utilizes the core-flexi model4 to balance resource output is the software implemented in the live requirements. environment. The entire production of the whole project must Each of the governance forums, meanwhile, has pass through all the shops over the course of specific objectives and is formed with relevant a few months; all subsequent changes also people from inside and outside the MDM CoE. The must go through all the shops in the course of outcome of one forum can be used as an input for a few weeks. The objective of the production others. Each forum has its own agenda, activities, line is to increase the efficiency of a factory by SLAs, workflows and governance body. Generally, delivering output(s) every day. any process — such as new project on-boarding, change approval, release planning, etc. — goes When MDM is in full swing, there will be through the appropriate governance forums, and multiple MDM projects going on in parallel, and every forum must act on a certain part (or parts) different projects will be at different stages of of the processes. production. In other words, some projects may be in the requirements phase, while others may There are also a few processes, such as archi- be in the development or testing phases. This tecture decision-making, that are completed in means that shops need to work concurrently their entirety by a particular forum. The overall and sequence their tasks. There may also be objectives of multiple forums include: a scenario where a single shop must handle testing for multiple projects. The varying • Identifying and segregating the important workloads of every shop at different points in activities and decision-making processes time is taken care of by the core-flexi model. and providing a focused forum for relevant people to act on them. 3. Competency centers, such as a knowledge repository, product, tools, domain expertise, • Speeding the entire process by creating etc. These competency centers maintain and separate forums that can work in parallel on share their knowledge of processes, meth- different issues and facilitate agile decision- odologies, tools and best practices in their making. respective areas. Any of the shops within the • Bringing the right level of agility and governance forum can use the services of governance by federation. these competency centers. The competency centers provide the best-in-class practices of MDM Factory Model MDM program management and delivery. The MDM factory model includes four compo- nents: 4. Shared services, such as infrastructure support and production support. These shared 1. A set of specialized shops within the factory. services work with all the shops at various The shops are logically placed in sequence, in stages of the project lifecycle and provide a production-like line. The examples of various necessary support in areas such as infrastruc- shops include requirements analysis, design ture planning, on-boarding, management, and architecture, development, etc. Each product roll-out, bug fixing, etc. The shared shop has a group of resources trained on the services model ensures that the support in particular subject and methodology, as well as these areas is consistent, continuous and ready-to-use templates, tools and accelerators standard for all the groups. It also ensures that to carry out the tasks in that shop. issues are quickly resolved through a single service group. This streamlines the overall 2. The factory production line. All shops are governance process. placed in a logical sequence so the output of one shop can be the input of the next shop. Governance Forum The shops can also work on parallel tasks. There are four major governance forums: The production line works as it would within a manufacturing company. For example, at an • The MDM steering committee provides oversight and helps monitor and manage the automobile company, the final output of the enterprise MDM program from tactical and production line is an assembled car, and the strategic standpoints. first input is raw material. Similarly, the first input in the MDM factory is production scope • The MDM change management board details and business requirements, and the final an effective MDM change management process cognizant 20-20 insights 5
  • 6. MDM in the Enterprise MDM CoE Governance Council: Senior Sponsorship Business Organization MDM CoE Champion IT and Support MDM MDM Business Architecture Delivery IT DBAs, Tech Support, Sponsors Data Operations, MDM MDM Application Architect Business Integration Analyst Source Support Data Governance Systems HRTraining & Quality Downstream Systems Data Consumers Figure 2 to reduce the risks and costs associated with MDM champion isn’t just a cog in the MDM wheel the changes during the enterprise MDM rollout. of an enterprise but a pivot around which the It helps the rollout deliver an increased and end-to-end MDM program rolls out. early ROI by reducing both the time-to-value and time-to-market of an enterprise MDM Since the MDM CoE champion plays a pivotal rollout. role in the success of an enterprise MDM rollout, this individual should have the following respon- • The MDM architecture advisory board works sibilities: closely with the organization to gather the exact requirements and lay out a roadmap for • Socialize the concept of MDM in the organiza- the rollout of MDM across the enterprise. It will tion. also address key rollout issues. • Develop the enterprise MDM vision and • The MDM program and release management establish the MDM objective. board ensures that the enterprise MDM • Obtain senior management sponsorship and initiative is sufficiently detailed to support the build the business case for MDM. creation of a feasible and measurable plan with a specific timeline. The board is also respon- • Provide leadership in building the MDM strategy and roadmap. sible for creating a proper plan and support structure on the operational procedures to • Facilitate the process of selecting the MDM ensure that the organization is prepared for a software, consulting and implementation seamless execution of its MDM rollouts. partner. MDM CoE Champion: Key to an Enterprise MDM • Participate in various enterprise-level technol- ogy roadmaps, architecture strategy, technol- Program’s Success ogy council and other project board meetings The MDM CoE is headed by an MDM champion: to understand the requirements and position the person promoting MDM throughout the the MDM solution. organization. Typically, this person is respon- sible for business or technology solutions across • Generate demand for MDM, secure funds and the organization and can influence enterprise- oversee the MDM solution delivery. level decision-making and participate in various • Participate in governance council meetings for senior-level business and technology forums. The enterprise-level MDM program governance. cognizant 20-20 insights 6
  • 7. Tips for Delivering a Successful is overly tactical and assembled in discon- Enterprise MDM Solution nected, multiple phases. As discussed earlier, a successful enterprise MDM >> Adopt various architectural styles during implementation requires thorough groundwork the phased implementation and build the and a set of clearly defined steps to overcome end-state MDM architecture to meet the the inevitable hurdles. While many challenges are enterprise information architecture re- specific to an organization, some of the “must- quirements. have” steps to ensure enterprise MDM success include: • Identify the first MDM business project sponsor and then create a pipeline of projects: • Clarify what you mean by an MDM solution to business and IT: Set the MDM vision. >> Carefully identify the first program to launch MDM in the organization; the suc- >> MDM requirements can be operational (i.e., cess of MDM in the enterprise will largely running the business) or analytical (i.e., depend on the success of the first project. reporting on the business), or they can be used for combining scenarios or use cases. >> Socialize MDM within the organization and identify ongoing and future projects that >> Focus on business-oriented scenarios and can benefit from MDM. align the MDM vision with your organiza- tion’s short-term and long-term business • Build a shared service model of MDM to objectives. maximize the benefits of MDM and share costs among divisions: • Gainhigh-level MDM program sponsorship and business buy-in: >> Institutionalize MDM in the organization by creating an MDM CoE. >> Set revenue/cost management goals for the program. >> Identifyan MDM champion and create a long-term MDM roadmap. >> Focus on business-oriented scenarios. >> Obtain several sponsors throughout the A Way Forward organization. The hypothetical dilemma faced by the CIO at • Build a business case for enterprise MDM: Alpha-Beta is commonplace at many large and medium-sized organizations, typically in the >> Demonstrate where revenue enhance- consolidation and rationalization phase of their ments will come from and how costs can business and IT evolution. As organizations be reduced when establishing the business evolve and grow, they find it increasingly difficult case for MDM. to manage their master >> Demonstrate tangible returns from MDM. data. As bad data drives As bad data drives bad >> Look for business opportunities across the bad business decisions, managing data effectively business decisions, value chain. is critical to driving larger managing data • Deliver value early and often, and view MDM business transformation ini- effectively is critical to as part of a larger enterprise information tiatives, since any business management strategy: process would involve driving larger business >> Design and implement an MDM program in master data in some form or transformation small phases to deliver business value early another. initiatives, since any and at every phase and ask for funding in phases. Managing master data at business process would an enterprise level is tricky, involve master data in >> Identify the cross-functional and cross- and it calls for an enterprise departmental use cases that will deliver MDM program. However, due some form or another. business value to multiple operations. to the very nature of an MDM • Alignthe technology architecture of your program, it is extremely difficult to anticipate and MDM implementation with your long-term address the challenges if organizations jump information infrastructure strategy: into a series of implementations without the proper groundwork. Therefore, before embarking >> Build toward the long-term vision and on an ambitious enterprise MDM program, it is strategy; don’t settle for an approach that cognizant 20-20 insights 7
  • 8. important to lay the foundation through a robust foundation and finding the right MDM champion. CoE structure and build upon it through multiple This is not easy, but it can be done if the afore- iterations to ensure rollout success. mentioned steps are faithfully followed. Figure 3 lays out cases where we have helped our clients Pulling off a true enterprise-level MDM-enabled succeed with their enterprise MDM initiatives. business transformation is as much about immac- ulate planning as it is about laying a strong CoE MDM Initiatives in Action Project Type Client Descriptions Highlights MDM CoE for World’s largest provider • Set up MDM CoE and made it operational with ongoing Merchant Master of merchant processing activities related to governance of MDM, which led to services implementing best practices, planning, data governance guide and performance considerations. • MDM CoE provided process definitions, data ownership rules, change management, release management, execution methodology and acceptance criteria. • This ensured seamless adoption of MDM across the organization. MDM CoE for A leading provider of • Implemented MDM CoE, which helped in monitoring and Strategic Program prescription and related managing the MDM program from both a tactical and Management healthcare services strategic standpoint. • Provided overall supervision and helped monitor and manage MDM program from both a tactical and strategic standpoint. • Prepared an exact roadmap for rollout, addressing key rollout issues. • Helped create new competencies and support for MDM processes and services to ensure a smooth and high- quality delivery. MDM CoE for A leading manufac- • Implemented MDM CoE, which laid out the long-term Long-Term Strategic turing and retailing strategic roadmap to ensure data governance, process Roadmap corporation of construc- governance and PMO guidelines are in place. tion material, glass and abrasives • Organizational capabilities built into MDM through mentoring, training and direct project support. • Total cost of development and total time to market reduced through identification, development and main- tenance of reusable MDM assets. Scalable DQ CoE A leading UK banking • Implemented data quality (DQ) CoE, which provided company the basic data quality service and acted as a complete, robust and scalable model, providing a gamut of other specialized services to address the need of increasing data quality requirements. • Prepared proof of concept and final report for priority services. • DQ CoE monitored and managed engagements and ensured successful DQ processes and services imple- mentation. Figure 3 cognizant 20-20 insights 8
  • 9. Footnotes 1 Multidomain MDM is a solution for mastering multiple data domains and managing their inter-relationships. 2 Marty Mosely, “The Benefits of Multidomain MDM: Transactional and Analytical,” Mastering Data Management, Sept. 17, 2009, http://www.masteringdatamanagement.com/index.php/2009/09/17/part- 3-the-benefits-of-multidomain-mdm-transactional-and-analytical. 3 “Building the Business Case for Master Data Management,” Oracle Corp., April 2009, http://www.oracle.com/us/corporate/insight/business-case-mdm-wp-171711.pdf. 4 The core-flexi model involves a core team in every shop, as well as an extended team. The core team is the permanent team, and its resources remain in the shop throughout the program to complete their work. Based on workload, the resources for the extended team are augmented by the larger CoE. Every shop has a bootcamp to quickly on-board new resources in the extended team and then deploy them on projects. By leveraging the core-flexi model, the resource ramp-up and ramp-down is rigorously managed to optimize resource utilization. About the Authors Souparna Giri is the Lead Business Consultant and Senior Manager in Cognizant’s MDM Strategic Advisory Services team, with over 10 years of experience in the IT field. His expertise spans MDM strategy, assessment and roadmap creation; business process modeling; data governance; business process understanding and feasibility studies; vendor evaluation; gap analysis; requirements analysis; functional specification design; and MDM implementation and program governance. Souparna has rich domain experience in CRM and MDM within the banking and financial services industry. He has a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from Bengal Engineering College and an M.B.A. in marketing from Great Lakes Institute of Management. Souparna can be reached at Souparna.Giri@cognizant.com. Vaibhav Kumar is a Senior Consultant in Cognizant’s MDM Strategic Advisory Services team, with over five years of experience in the strategic IT consulting industry. Vaibhav has rich experience in strategiz- ing MDM and data governance roadmaps and rollouts in the retail, manufacturing, media and entertain- ment and hospitality industries and has worked at multiple client locations in the UK and Continental Europe. He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical and electronics engineering from Manipal Institute of Technology, Manipal, and an M.B.A. in strategy and marketing from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta. He can be reached at Vaibhav.Kumar3@cognizant.com. About Cognizant Cognizant (NASDAQ: CTSH) is a leading provider of information technology, consulting, and business process out- sourcing services, dedicated to helping the world’s leading companies build stronger businesses. Headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey (U.S.), Cognizant combines a passion for client satisfaction, technology innovation, deep industry and business process expertise, and a global, collaborative workforce that embodies the future of work. With over 50 delivery centers worldwide and approximately 150,400 employees as of September 30, 2012, Cognizant is a member of the NASDAQ-100, the S&P 500, the Forbes Global 2000, and the Fortune 500 and is ranked among the top performing and fastest growing companies in the world. Visit us online at  www.cognizant.com or follow us on Twitter: Cognizant. World Headquarters European Headquarters India Operations Headquarters 500 Frank W. Burr Blvd. 1 Kingdom Street #5/535, Old Mahabalipuram Road Teaneck, NJ 07666 USA Paddington Central Okkiyam Pettai, Thoraipakkam Phone: +1 201 801 0233 London W2 6BD Chennai, 600 096 India Fax: +1 201 801 0243 Phone: +44 (0) 20 7297 7600 Phone: +91 (0) 44 4209 6000 Toll Free: +1 888 937 3277 Fax: +44 (0) 20 7121 0102 Fax: +91 (0) 44 4209 6060 Email: inquiry@cognizant.com Email: infouk@cognizant.com Email: inquiryindia@cognizant.com © ­­ Copyright 2012, Cognizant. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission from Cognizant. The information contained herein is subject to change without notice. All other trademarks mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.