Data: The Critical Investment
In General, How Do We Look At the Task At Hand When It Comes To
Data?
Most people that I have come in contact with believe that maintaining data is
usually someone else's job. Those same people usually complain about mapped
information never being right and the fact that there is not enough time in a day
for good quality data maintenance. Over the years I have often heard comments
like the maps are not right, or the information I received is not correct”.
It also seems that, more often than not, people have the perception that
implementing a new system or technology will somehow make the data that they
deal with on an everyday basis better. There is no “silver bullet” or “magical
process” that this author is aware of that can make that happen. Technology can
change several things, but it cannot change or alter in any way the quality of
existing base data.
The process to maintain truly high quality and accurate (content accuracy) data
can be very time consuming.
Who has the main responsibility for the data?
The answer to this question is really a very simple one. Everybody in the
organization has a responsibility in maintaining quality data. Even when people
are not directly involved in a data gathering effort they should always pay very
close attention to the data that they provide others. For example, when someone
fills out a form they need to check and double check it to make sure that they
didn't transpose a number. This will make sure that the person who receives the
form will have correct information. When the person in the field sees something
that doesn't match the map they are looking at, they should note it and send the
correct information to the mapping department or whomever is responsible to
correct the information. And so on and so on.
Is Data the Corporate Asset That We Keep Hearing About?
I say YES! Just as buildings, furniture, vehicles, or new computer systems are
considered to be corporate assets, data MUST be considered a similar kind of
asset. It needs to be taken care of and maintained in the best possible way to
ensure its longevity. Just like you change the oil in company vehicles or clean the
buildings, data needs good maintenance too. It costs a significant amount of
money to gather data the first time and I believe that if we treat it like an
investment it will have a very long life and help the computer systems yield the
benefits we are expecting.
Additionally, so that the investment made in data can be protected, keep the
following points in mind:
- "Determine How Data Will Be Maintained Before Starting Conversion
- "Ensure People Are Aware of It’s Importance
- "Provide the Proper Training
- "Reengineer the Work Processes
- " Analyze Data Quality Often
