5 Steps to

Jump-start
Your Data
Management
Program
Improve your data management capabilities, align
your processes with best practices, and see positive
improvements throughout your organization
®
with CMMI’s Data Management Maturity (DMM)SM model.
 real sense, data is now the equivalent of oil
Business is fast, and or gold … with the proper principles and
you’re busy. guidelines, we should be able to collect,
If you’re like many business leaders, measure, and analyze more and more
you’re probably relying on an ad hoc information about everyone and everything
approach to processes, mostly at the in order to make better decisions,

project level. And that leaves little time individually and collectively.”1 Virtually everything
for measurement, let alone incorporating in business today is
And though you may realize the
best practices. an undifferentiated
opportunities your data presents, many in
commodity, except how
your organization may not. To prove its
But soon this haphazard approach may a company manages its
strategic importance, a strong foundational
catch up with you. As data management information. How you
framework that explains the value of data
falls by the wayside, so may your potential manage information
management and what it can do is required.
for growth. In today’s fast-paced determines whether you
environment, data is increasingly becoming The DMM shines a light on how you are win or lose.
one of the top—if not the top—foundational managing your data assets and offers a
- Bill Gates
elements of a successful business. sound framework on which to build better Founder and former CEO
data management practices. Because it is of Microsoft Corporation
As the World Economic Forum’s “The
a cohesive, comprehensive framework, the
Global Information Technology Report
model has a unique ability to open the
2014” indicates:
door to conversations across an
“Data have always had strategic value, but organization and get everyone on the same
with the magnitude of data today … it has page when it comes to realizing data’s
1
become a new form of asset class. In a very power to the business.
Here are five ways that the Data Management Maturity model
opens the door for strategic data management:
The other half of companies gaining According to a report from
The Economist Intelligence Unit:
massive advantages are the ones that have
BEYOND THE BASICS
figured out how to fully leverage their data.
1. By enabling the organization to see the On average, organizations report having

68 %
of companies
importance of good data management, seen a 26 percent improvement in their collect and use

the DMM launches a program approach overall performance because of big data, customer data to
drive business
to effective data management. and they expect to see an improvement of decisions

41 percent over the next three years. 3

Without data, your company cannot

How DMM Can Help

67 %
survive. Data drives your operational and collect
transactional
tactical decisions, and it enables you to The Data Management Maturity data

manage your supply chains, create model can help kick off your data
stronger customer relationships with management program by clearly
targeted promotions, and ensure that your outlining the importance of a solid
employees have the information they need strategy. You’ll measure yourself
to get their jobs done.

45
against best practices and see how

%
collect
your organization stacks up; strengths supply chain/
Yet, 50 percent of them rate their ability to inventory data
and gaps will be discovered.
actually use this data as primitive or basic.
2
2
 your organization. The model also Data Management Strategy
Data Management Strategy
emphasizes the importance of effective ◆
Communications
DEFINING DATA MANAGEMENT
◆
Data Management Function
communications with a dedicated section. ◆
◆ Business Case
◆ Program Funding
2. B
 y offering a shared vocabulary to
Getting your entire company on board Data Governance
discuss data management, the DMM
with your strategic vision for data ◆ Governance Management
enables disparate parts of the ◆ Business Glossary
management is key to operationalizing ◆ Metadata Management
organization to discuss process
best practices and seeing improvements Data Quality
management. ◆ Data Quality Strategy
affect far-reaching aspects of the business. ◆ Data Profiling
◆ Data Quality Assessment
◆ Data Cleansing

Data Operations
There’s an old saying: “You don’t know
◆ Data Requirements Definition
what you don’t know.” Until you start ◆ Data Lifecycle Management
◆ Provider Management
asking the right questions, areas of
How DMM Can Help Platform & Architecture
opportunity for strengthening your data ◆ Architectural Approach
◆ Architectural Standards
management are likely to remain unknown. Talking about data management ◆ Data Management Platform
◆ Data Integration
What you need is an accepted vocabulary has never been easier. Need to ◆ H
 istorical Data, Archiving,
and Retention
and perspective to talk about your connect across disparate teams,
Supporting Processes
processes. This is what the Data unify silos, and prove the importance
◆ Measurement and Analysis
Process Management
Management Maturity model offers. of data management? With the ◆
◆ Process Quality Assurance
approach and practices in the Data ◆ Risk Management
Configuration Management
With an entire framework of categories ◆
Management Maturity model, you’ll
and process areas, each with a clear and
have a functional library of shared
distinct pathway for success, the DMM
vision and terminology.
gives you a way to share your vision with 3
 The Deciding Factor: Big data and decision-making

MAKE SMARTER DECISIONS Across allsectors,

Across all
big
datadata
sectors,“organisational
“organizationalsilos”
for effective
for effective
silos”
decision-making.
decision-making
are
are thethe biggest
biggest impediment
impediment to using
to using big

3. B
 y creating a framework to improve Survey Question: What are your organisation’s three biggest impediments to using big data for
effective decision-making?
data management, the DMM shows [Select up to three options]

the importance of properly managing 65.8%

63.0%
59.7%

data and tying it to key organizational

57.1% 58.2%
55.7%
54.3% 54.5% 54.3%
52.6%
50.6% 50.0%
48.4%
44.3% 45.5%

decisions.
43.7% 43.5%
40.0%
36.8% 37.1% 37.0%

Data management is not easy. It takes time,

manpower, and resources that companies
Too many “silos”—data is not Shortage of skilled people to The time taken to analyse large
may not be willing to dedicate to the effort. SRROHGIRUWKHEHQH¿WRIWKHHQWLUH
organisation.
analyse the data properly. data sets.

But the benefits can be astounding. 47.8% 48.4% 49.1%

45.7%
41.7% 41.8%
39.1%
36.8%
34.9% 34.3% 34.2%
32.9%

Capgemini, a consulting, technology, and 27.4%

24.3%

18.4% 20.0%
17.1%

outsourcing firm, reports that 56 percent of

14.5%
13.0% 13.0%
10.9%

companies say “organizational silos” are their

biggest roadblock to using big data for Unstructured content in big data Big data is not viewed The high cost of storing and
LVWRRGLI¿FXOWWRLQWHUSUHW VXI¿FLHQWO\VWUDWHJLFDOO\ manipulating large data sets.
decision-making. Another 51 percent say that by senior management.
41.3%

finding skilled workers is a problem, and 44 Total

Total

Financial
Financial Sector
Sector
percent point to the time it takes to analyze 14.7%
17.1%

10.9%
12.7% Energy
Energy & Natural
& Natural Resources
Resources
7.9% 8.1% 7.9% 8.1%

the data. The worst part? More than half (55 Consumer Goods & Retail
4.4% 4.3% 4.3%
1.8%
4.3%
Consumer goods & retail

IT&&Technology
IT Technology
percent) say that big data isn’t viewed Manufacturing
Manufacturing

Big data sets are too complex to Something not on this Healthcare & Pharmacy
strategically by senior management.4
Healthcare & Pharmacy
4
collect and store. list (please specify).

19
Data tends to go unseen until something
goes wrong. A security breach. An account
mishandled. A customer unhappy. A How DMM Can Help
Data tends to
broken supply chain. But this is the lowest- With the Data Management Maturity go unseen until
level understanding of data management. model, you’ll know exactly what you something goes
Effective data management goes far need to do to improve your wrong.
beyond that. processes, and with that clarity, you’ll

There is a push-pull dynamic going on with be able to better explain how your

data management across organizations, goals advance the organization’s

with companies slowly starting to business strategy.

recognize the need for effective

management of their data but unsure
about their resource expenditure or how to
manage data within hundreds of separate
projects.

The Data Management Maturity model

effectively alleviates this confusion by
providing clear and concise directional
statements and practical process areas,
enabling organizations to succinctly see
what is needed to improve and how to tie
those process improvements to the larger
5
operational goals of the company.
 reach. The DMM embodies a forward-
thinking approach and enables
MEASURE YOUR SUCCESS
organizations to set a baseline for success. Among the hardest hit by
4. B
 y establishing a baseline of success This baseline makes it easy to see where the double punch of the
for data management, the DMM enables improvements are needed and also when wealth of data and extensive
future progress to be measured and the target standard has been achieved. regulation are the healthcare
discussed objectively, giving all You’ll be able to measure your results, show and pharmacy sectors.

business units a stake in the progress. when actionable improvements have been Capgemini reports that for

completed, and clearly communicate that this industry, the scale of this

success across your organization. industry’s data presents one

It’s easy to be subjective when no metrics of its largest challenges to

effectively using data for
and no bar are set for improvement.
decision-making. In fact, 41
Moreover, without accountability,
percent of the healthcare
processes that are essential for optimal How DMM Can Help
and pharmacy sectors report
decisions, workflow, and compliance can
By setting a baseline for success, large data sets as a major
be easily ignored.
you’ll know exactly when you’ve met concern, as compared to

If you have difficulty understanding exactly your goals and how you can keep only 15 percent across all

how much data you have, truly capitalizing pushing your progress forward. The industries.5

on that data and moving beyond meeting Data Management Maturity model

basic regulatory obligations is likely out of makes this standard for success clear

across the organization.

6
 happenstance, but rather with informed and
thoughtful care.
BRING CLARITY TO By actively
BUSINESS GOALS Capgemini reports that 54 percent of managing your
5. B
 y making data management and the
executives say that management decisions data, defining your
various processes associated with it
based on pure intuition are more and more processes, and
more transparent, the DMM facilitates
regarded as suspect. By aligning your leveraging your
clear alignment of an organization’s
business with the best practices in the Data analytics to inform
data management program to its long-
Management Maturity model, you can your long-term
term business goals.
better communicate the advantages of business goals, you
data-driven decisions and enact those best can enact positive
practices more easily.6 change across your
Data itself isn’t useful. The true value of
organization.
good data lies in the actionable insights
derived from it. By actively managing your
data, defining your processes, and How DMM Can Help
leveraging your analytics to inform your
DMM gives you clarity both in your
long-term business goals, you can enact
data management goals and
positive change across your organization.
processes, enabling you to leverage
With a process in place where data insights
your data so it can be used by your
are continually delivered to the business,
organization to guide strategic
you can be assured that all operational
business decisions.
decisions are not made by gut feeling or by
7
A Vocabulary to Enact Positive Change

It can be difficult to tie data management Sources:

1
Beñat Bilbao-Osorio, Soumitra Dutta and Bruno Lanvin, Editors, World
to actionable capability improvement and Economic Forum, Insight Report, “The Global Information Technology
Report 2014: Rewards and Risks of Big Data,” http://www3.weforum.org/
align it with larger business objectives. docs/WEF_GlobalInformationTechnology_Report_2014.pdf (accessed March
27, 2015).
Good communication can enable you to 2
Capgemini, “The Deciding Factor: Big Data & Decision Making,” June 4,
2012, https://www.capgemini.com/resources/the-deciding-factor-big-data-
achieve a culture that embraces strategic decision-making (accessed March 27, 2015).

data management and see positive Economist Intelligence Unit, “The evolving role of data in decision-making,”
3

March-April 2013, http://www.emc.com/collateral/white-papers/ei-evolving-

improvements organization-wide. role-data-decision-making.pdf (accessed March 27, 2015).
4
Capgemini, “The Deciding Factor: Big Data & Decision Making,” June 4,
Through a strong framework measured 2012, https://www.capgemini.com/resources/the-deciding-factor-big-data-
decision-making (accessed March 27, 2015).
against best practices and a shared vision 5
Ibid.
6
Ibid.
and perspective, your data management .

capabilities become something that is real

and embedded in your entire
organization.

Learn more about

CMMI’s Data Management
Maturity (DMM) model.