Paul Jones: Data, Strategy, Innovation

If an Accountability framework creates division and silos, the way it’s been implemented is wrong. Whilst clarification of accountabilities and responsibilities is vital, especially where there is a need for segregation of duties, there should be more of a focus on the interactions needed between people in these roles to achieve outcomes. RACI matrices are an important tool in process design, but here’s the important point: they are used to clarify who does what in the context of the delivery of an end-to-end process. Each step is dependent on each other and consequently each role is dependent on one another. The minute you hear people using their accountabilities as an excuse to avoid collaboration (“that’s not my accountability”, “that’s not in scope for me”, etc) – it’s possible that something’s not quite right. This applies to all types of roles: business, technology, change, data… There is no doubt that formalised accountability is important and needed. But do those who are accoun...

Are you wasting time and money on your data lineage? Asking the right questions can help you focus your efforts in the right way: Are you trying to minimise the number of manual steps in your data flows? Are you capturing your lineage in a way that helps with this? Are you trying to make sure you have the right controls across your data architecture, such as data quality, data integrity and reconciliation controls? Does your data lineage capture these so you can see where they are and where they might be missing? Are you taking steps to make sure key processes and reports are using data from the right sources? Does your data lineage give you insight into which data sources are the points of initial data capture or nominated authoritative sources? Are you trying to improve your ability to perform impact analysis, to enable faster and more effective delivery of change, or to better respond to incidents? Or are you capturing data lineage just because it's a regulatory requirement? It...

Why does maintaining legacy technology cost so much? Let’s compare it to a building. Imagine you have an old converted barn, which has a thatched roof. In the past, thatching was one of the most advanced techniques for roofing, providing outstanding insulation and protection from the elements. Thatching was also a common skill, so maintaining a roof built using this technique was relatively cheap. Nowadays, a thatched roof is no longer cutting edge. More modern methods last longer with less need for maintenance. The skills needed to maintain a thatched roof are scarce, so expert craftsmen can charge more. Also, if you ever wanted to extend your house, to add more space or use it for other purposes, connecting it to modern roofing structures will be hard and expensive, and will make it even harder and more costly to maintain in the future. Unlike a thatched roof, your legacy technology doesn’t ‘look nice’, so other than the fact that it ‘still works’, the benefits of continuing to inves...

I'm happy to present in full , the  fourth chapter  from the book “ The Data Garden And Other Data Allegories ”, titled "THE DATA ARCHITECTURE CONSTRUCTION PROJECT". ______________________________  An exciting opportunity… or is it? You’ve been waiting for this for a long time. It’s the opportunity you’ve been training for and it’s a great honour. After many years of working in various different roles, working your way up the ranks and building experience across numerous positions, you’ve finally made it. What you don’t realise, just yet, is quite what you’re getting yourself into. Three months ago, you successfully completed the build of a new business estate on the outskirts of Master Data City. It used cutting edge new technologies and has become widely recognised as a masterpiece of data engineering. It’s become the catalyst for a total transformation of the fortunes of those living and working in the area and prompted a significant increase in investment in similar d...

This is the fourteenth part of the chapter titled “The Data Architecture Construction Project”, from the book “ The Data Garden And Other Data Allegories ”. ______________________________ Hope for the future After the meeting has finished, your Head Builder finds you back in the meeting room, leaning back in your chair and gazing out of one of the windows at the Data Insights Town skyline. The sun is setting behind one of the tall buildings in the distance and the sky is awash with hues of red, yellow and orange. His presence stirs you from your reverie and you look at him with a smile. “How do you think my first day went?” “Could’ve been worse,” comes the response, with a chuckle.  You laugh in return. “That sounded enthusiastic!” Your new deputy comes and sits next to you. He speaks slowly and with meaning. “I’ll be honest, Boss. Things haven’t been great around here for a long time. I think you can see that from what you’ve heard today. But you can also see how much everyone her...

This is the thirteenth part of the chapter titled “The Data Architecture Construction Project”, from the book “ The Data Garden And Other Data Allegories ”. ______________________________ The challenges ahead Now that you’ve laid out your plans for the way you’d like the team to work, you give people a few minutes to allow what you’d said to sink in, before you wrap up the meeting with a summary of next steps. This is just the beginning and through active collaboration and regular reflection on the operational performance of the team, the operating model is something that can be evolved over time, based on the lessons that are learned along the way. Whilst you do believe that the changes you’ve outlined will help everyone work better together and will by implication drive greater productivity and success, it’s also important that everyone is clear on the challenges ahead and the part that each individual plays in addressing them. Data Insights Town is very busy, with many data people t...

This is the twelfth part of the chapter titled “The Data Architecture Construction Project”, from the book “ The Data Garden And Other Data Allegories ”. ______________________________ Transparent, Integrated Delivery Support Speaking to the entire room, you take a moment to share how impressed you are with the expertise that you can tell exists within and across teams. You acknowledge that there have been challenges with delivery in the past, but this has been in part due to a range of factors that were not entirely within the control of the people assembled here today. Now there’s an opportunity for everyone to take back control and to deliver more successfully together. This is where you see the Programme Delivery team playing a pivotal role. Effective delivery is important for all teams. As such, members of the Programme Delivery office will need to embed themselves within each team, to act as trusted partners in establishing good practice project management and cross-team collabor...

This is the eleventh part of the chapter titled “The Data Architecture Construction Project”, from the book “ The Data Garden And Other Data Allegories ”. ______________________________ Pro-active Maintenance Turning your attention to the Head of Infrastructure Maintenance, you confirm to him that you know that there is still a need to react to urgent maintenance needs, especially where the safety of data people is at risk. However, building on what you’ve just said about the Strategic Architecture team, you would like the Architects to be involved in any significant maintenance works, because there may be opportunities to use new technologies and techniques, to improve the longevity of repairs and also make them easier to maintain and build on in the future. Before there’s a chance for a disagreement to be raised about this, you hold up your hand and continue assertively. You respect and appreciate the expertise of the people who have been using tried-and-tested technologies for a lon...

This is the tenth part of the chapter titled “The Data Architecture Construction Project”, from the book “ The Data Garden And Other Data Allegories ”. ______________________________ A new regime When everyone returns, you start by playing back some of the points that you’ve heard. You acknowledge frustrations and concerns, before drilling down into some of the changes that you’ll be making to the way everyone works, which you’d like to implement as soon as possible. The structure of the teams and their leaders will stay as they are for now, to minimise disruption, but there will be a weekly meeting scheduled, where all of those present in the room today, including the contractors, will gather and collaborate, from this point forwards. This group will start to act as a joined-up leadership team, and that means that everyone will support each other and prioritise shared objectives over any goals that teams have individually. This may take some time to get right, and that’s OK: the main ...

This is the ninth part of the chapter titled “The Data Architecture Construction Project”, from the book “ The Data Garden And Other Data Allegories ”. ______________________________ Your Build Team Now that you’ve heard from everyone else, you return your attention to your Head Builder, who’s sat calmly in his chair next to you. As he starts to talk, you’re surprised to notice an immediate shift in the atmosphere of the room. Arms are uncrossed, frowns are relaxed, attentions are re-focused and the previously stifling temperature seems to tangibly drop and feel more bearable. He starts by thanking his peers and some of the other people who’ve spoken, who turn out to be former colleagues of his, for their introductions. Then he offers a bit of background before he goes into his team’s current role and what they’re doing at the moment. Your Head Builder first came to Data Insights Town as a teenager and joined one of the earliest building teams as an apprentice. He talks fondly of the h...