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.
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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