The A&O of Data - introduction

Data lakes turn to swamps. Investments in digitalization go sour. Data scientists are growing frustrated instead of growing business. Why the promise of data, the "new oil", appears to be beyond reach?

It is not for a lack of trying: executives are aware of the revolution led by data & AI & everything-else-digital. And not only aware - real money is spent. But results are mediocre or dismal at worst - with a few exceptional organizations that appear to crack the code somehow.

This series of blog posts is about cracking the code, about getting true value out of data & digitalization. No silver bullet is presented; repeating snappy statements like "treat data as an asset" does not provide answers.

Instead, serious contemplation is needed. A new way of looking at business is required. Disciplined management of interlinked actions - that goes across traditional borderlines of functions, processes, and systems - is a must to move "data as an asset" from an aspirational statement to reality.

• The work starts with understanding the true nature of "data". Despite all hullabaloo around data, the role of data is still often subservient to information technology work. Data is seen as mere attributes and tables. Its nature as a complex set of dependencies between technology and business topics is downplayed or even disregarded.
• Creating Alignment, a top-down activity, is the next step. The goals of an organization need to mirror its data. This reflection is not like a neatly expressed equation of reflections in wave physics, but rather a messy process involving anything from managerial sciences to technology until behavioristics.
• Building Orchestration follows. It is a bottom-up activity, about maneuvering the capabilities of an organization around data in an orchestrated manner. These capabilities span functional and organizational borders, from data to business processes to information technology work.

The nexus of the A&O is where the magic happens. When there is true top-down alignment what data is needed for what purposes, and bottom-up orchestration of capabilities of managing the data amidst a set of system, process, and organizational silos, a future-proof data-centric organization is born. Business value is created. "Data Governance", "Process Governance", and "EA (Enterprise Architecture) Governance" all merge into "Orchestration Governance" - the core capability of tomorrow's winners.

In the next blog, I'll dive into the true nature of data and later continue to the details of Alignment and Orchestration.

//The author is a data management aficionado interested in life, businesses, societies, and the evolution of technologies. If you want to be sure to notice my next blog about Orchestration Governance in your LinkedIn stream, pls send me a private message or throw a comment on this post. I'll make sure to keep you updated. :)