Reflections On The Value Proposition For Information Quality

Reflections on the Value Proposition for Information Quality
Hints, tips, and Jedi Mind tricks for getting management buy-in

Alice
“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?”
The Cheshire Cat
“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to”
Alice
“I don't much care where…”
The Cheshire Cat
“Then it doesn't matterwhich way you go…”
Alice
“…so long as I get somewhere…”
The Cheshire Cat
“Oh, you're sure to do that ifyou only walk long enough…”

Alice in Wonderland

What is it we are selling?
Information as an Asset
Good Decisions, based on sound information
Vision of the future?
How are we selling it?
Bringing your IQ/DQ programme to Market
Reframing the discussion for a crowded market place
Selling Information Quality
Perspectives on Information Quality
Tell me a Story…
How stories of success and peril can win hearts and minds.

Outline of Presentation

Is Information recognised as an Asset?
How is it integrated / accounted for?

The Asset

Fact
IT often does not want to raise a red flag since they know that they will be blamed for it
Business management wants to believe that their IT departments are top notch and that their systems are first rate
Transparency is still lacking
Is this an IT problem? What about?
Poorly articulated requirements
Poor acceptance testing
Poor data creation processes
… and more?

Distrust and not Caring

“But it’s supposed to be bigger”

Fact
Data and the quality of data is not managed as rigorously as are most other assets and activities
A characterization of the state of data quality awareness and responsiveness
People are generally aware of problems with data
People consistently underestimate, by a large amount, the extent of the problem
People have generally no idea of the cost of the problem to the organization
People have generally no idea of the potential value in fixing the problem

Trust and Caring…

Communicate
Socialize
Decisions
Analyze
Feedback
Knowledge
Enhanced Compliance
Increased Effort
Contextualize
Feedback
Information
Feedback
Data
Increased Value
Connecting Good Data to Good Decisions

The objective is to merge the interests of senior leaders and quality leaders into a single, cohesive agenda that moves the organization forward

When we reflect on our objectives and our alignment, we need to be sure we are seeing the full picture…

Selling Information Quality
How do we create the ‘common cause’ in a crowded market?

Build Trust and Success
Information Quality
Reframing the Market Place

Define the entity “Football”

IQ Impact/Opportunity
A generic strategy map, based on Kaplan & Norton
Getting on the Map

A Value Delivery System
Value Proposition
How resulting experiences will be provided
How resulting experiences will be communicated
Reduced costs of compliance
All information required readily available with clear lineage and auditability
Improved time/ability to respond to regulatory requests or investigation
???
‘Early warning’ of issues likely to attract regulator
???
Quality built in, less risk of error and more timely awareness of problems
Compliant at lower cost
???
Joined up organisation thinking, right hand knowing what left hand is doing
View of customer record consistent across organisation
Not winding up in court for harassment of customers
???
???

Value Propositions evolve
Polaroid Pogo
Digital Camera
Polaroid Instamatic
Box Brownie

Value Propositions evolve
Memory sticks, card readers, printers, printing booths, photo albums
Film, advice, photo albums
Polaroid Pogo
Film, advice, spare parts, developing
Digital Camera
Film(?), advice, photo albums
Polaroid Instamatic
Box Brownie

SCE (Successful Change Event)‏
D (Dissatisfaction with status quo)‏
V (Vision of future)‏
F (First Steps)‏
R (Resistance to change)‏

To trigger change you must
Understand the problem
Present the solution in an understandable way
Have clear first steps that solve the immediate problem while laying foundations for next steps.

Formula for Change

= Smelly Gym Socks
A rose by any other name?

In real life, unlike in Shakespeare, the sweetness of the rose depends upon the name it bears. Things are not only what they are. They are, in very important respects, what they seem to be.
Hubert H. Humphrey

Compliance Problems getting you down?
Buy a data profiling tool and all your troubles will be over. Trust me....

In Data/Information We Trust

Wrap up

'Information as an Asset' needs to be communicated
Trust (internal and external)
requires clear communication.
A culture of caring for information and information consumers requires communication
Communication happens through language…
Keep shouting loud enough in a language your audience doesn’t understand and you get nowhere
Change happens through communication
Understanding dissatisfaction
Communicating vision of future
A shared vision, with stories of success, builds trust.
An understanding of the Value Proposition builds credibility.

Communication is key…

A quick case study
What is the value proposition for this company?

Ferguson v British Gas [2009] EWCA Civ46
British Gas continued to bill a customer (Ferguson) after they had switched to another provider.
Passed details to collections agency, were commencing legal action etc.
Customer had no outstanding debt and was no longer a BG customer
Court of Appeal held that:
Companies can be liable for harassment in cases like this
The absence of a “controlling mind” is not a defence. “The Computer made us do it” will not wash.
Apart from liability under the Protection from Harassment Act, it was also highlighted that people in this situation could take a complaint to Trading Standards as well.
Poor information quality can get you sued.

Value Proposition
Value Proposition
How resulting experiences will be provided
How resulting experiences will be communicated
Reduced costs of compliance
View of customer record consistent across organisation
Ensure notifications about inaccuracy in customer data are investigated and corrected quickly
Run Consistency checks on customer data on a regular basis
Ensure training and organisation culture support quick response to inconsistencies or inaccuracies in customer data.
Not winding up in court for harassment of customers
Publish a consistency report for management
Track accuracy reports and actions at management meetings
Be able to compete on higher standard of customer care.
Publish case studies on how well we are doing.
Present at Conferences
???

Questions?