Paul Jones: Data, Strategy, Innovation

A Data Strategy is a great way to set a clear direction and get the right people on board to sponsor and support the delivery of strategic change.  If you’re trying to do anything strategic with Data, then you’re going to need the support of senior management and are therefore going to need some kind of strategy or articulation of plans to gain their support.  In this article, I present some tips on what a good Data Strategy should contain and then delve into some common mistakes that I’ve seen made when attempting to create a Data Strategy and how to avoid them. Please read my Disclaimer by clicking here. It’s easy to spot a great Data Strategy! I've seen a lot of Data Strategies over the years.  I've even written a few of them. The thing amazes me to this day, is how often the same mistakes are made, across various different types of businesses, of different sizes and different industries; with different aspirations and different organisational make-ups. The good news i...

This is the full version of an article that I originally published as a series of 5 posts, compiled here into one so you can read it all in one go. In this article I present a slightly different and simpler spin on how responsibilities for data work in most organisations, plus a few pointers for things companies can do to make data management roles even more effective. Please read my Disclaimer by clicking here. The wonderful truth: establishing who is responsible for data is easy! It's really common for organisations to struggle with concepts such as "data ownership", "data stewardship", "data custodianship" and the like.  When these ideas are introduced, they are often met with resistance, especially when they are communicated as something "new" that need to be done in addition to people's "day jobs". The great thing is, working out who is responsible for data is extremely simple and is based on the fundamental way that any or...

What Data Management lessons can we learn from the way in which information is being reported about the Covid-19 pandemic?  This post provides some observations and links them to good data management practices. Please read my Disclaimer by clicking here. The Covid-19 pandemic has turned the world upside down.  As the grim reality of this terrible disease started to become apparent, the media jumped into action and started reporting “the numbers”: numbers of cases, numbers of deaths, numbers recovered, numbers of PPE equipment delivered, numbers of care homes affected… the list goes on. Along with these numbers came the comparisons.  Comparisons between countries, between states and regions, between demographic groups and so on.  The increases in deaths were terrifying and the comparisons with other countries did nothing but add to the fear, especially when it started to look like the country “we’re” living in is experiencing more deaths, or when you realise th...