Rewired

Chapter 27Organize to get the most from your data

Chaos in the midst of chaos isn't funny, but chaos in the midst of order is.

—Steve Martin

The data operating model is the overall approach for how the organization should manage data. It has four primary components: organization, talent and culture, tooling and DataOps, and governance and risk (see Exhibit 27.1).

Some companies worry that building up this capability can seem like developing another bureaucracy or is perhaps only relevant to large banks. But in our experience, getting this data governance and operating model right is absolutely pivotal to becoming a data-intensive enterprise. It's easy to neglect having a strong operating model when you're dealing with one or two data use cases since you can often get away without it. But getting value from hundreds if not thousands of use cases is simply impossible without an effective and well-organized operating model. By developing clarity in these areas, companies can avoid the conflicts, confusion, and delays that typically hamper efforts around data.¹

EXHIBIT 27.1

Organization

Many companies struggle with how they should organize for effective data management and analytics. Who should own data? Should we have a data organization? How should it link with the business? And with IT? Who should own data engineering? Should data privacy and compliance be separated? ...