Master Data Management in Practice: Achieving True Customer MDM

Data Caretaking

Good caretaking is the result of genuine interest, aptitude, and appropriate skill sets being applied to what needs to be cared for. Caretaking is the more intangible aspect of the elements that make up data stewardship.

Being able to demonstrate genuine interest in data management and quality management practices should obviously be a key factor in who is appointed to the data steward roles. Such interest will usually stem from a person with a past history with and ongoing passion for data management, or perhaps someone who has been in other functional roles and recognized the value of good data. Either way, a data steward needs to have genuine interest in data and its integrity to fuel the right caretaking mind set.

In the planning stages of the MDM initiative when a steward model is being defined, the MDM project team should look closely within the existing business functions to identify good data steward candidates. Often there are a number of well-qualified internal candidates who will exist within the ranks of IT analysts, business reporting teams, process area leads, and support organizations. If they can be leveraged, they can bring a wealth of existing operational knowledge that can translate well to a data steward role.

Aptitude and appropriate skill sets should come from a combination of past experience, new orientation and training related to the data steward role, and having sufficient processes and tools that enable the data steward's ability to analyze ...