Managing your information as an asset-Part 1

"Manage your information as an asset" - You see this mantra flashed on every presentation on information management these days. Senior executives have this on their agenda. Business leaders are eager to aggressively plan a coordinated move with current information to respond to marketplace. Operational leaders want to optimize. Green leaders want a smaller carbon footprint of their data centers. Product and services vendors want to capitalize on the theme. It sounds contagious and it should be.

How are we manifesting this powerful idea? How can organizations, both big and small, lay the foundation and go on such a journey ?

1. Evangelize what exactly do you mean by an asset and communicate the approach and benefits of making information as one. Keep it simple, crisp and yet powerful.

2. Categorize your information. If you hear "it is all data and .. it is all the same" you are several zip codes away from your destination. Seriously !

3. Discuss and plan the ownership and stewardship of this asset. If you already have a data governance framework this should not be difficult.

4. Create instrumentation for periodically measuring the value of your asset. Very similar to how you measure and balance your investment portfolio. If your governance framework has achieved creation of actionable metrics then you just moved one step higher on the information maturity model.

5. Effectively translate the measures into business understandable benefits. "Speak English" a mentor of mine used to say several years ago.

6. Create joint ownership of this program between producers and consumers of information. Is the balance 50/50 ? 40/60? it depends on your industry/sector. If you are a conglomerate, you have to address this differently.

7. Show your business leaders that you can (and later in the program, you are) making money with this venture. This can be done in several different ways.

I can help you create a strategy, establish business case, build project charters & supporting cost models, define metrics to quantify progress and provide hands-on leadership in this exciting journey.

Information is your most powerful asset, capitalize on it in this downturn !

Gen Matthew Ridgway

What has a Korean war general got to do with information or insight ?

General Matthew Ridgways' leadership as a commander of the 8th Army during the Korean war is well documented. I was particularly drawn to his recognition and pursuit of intelligence. I hope as practitioners, managers and leaders of information in your organization you relate to the excerpts below. I was inspired into Twittering as I was reading it !

Some excerpts from the book ...

(1) On arrival Ridgway almost immediately started to tour forward positions. He'd go out all day with the troops, then when he came back at night, he'd have to be briefed - on everything .. As information leaders do you prefer a birds' eye view or do you take time to visit the trenches to understand what is happening at the grassroots level of data collection and data integration?

(2) ... He was appalled by what he found .. almost no intelligence of any significance. He visited one corps commander who did not even know the name of a nearby river. "My God almighty!" he said later of that particular piece of ignorance.
Sound familiar ? How many times have you gasped at the fact that your teams have limited or incorrect information to make meaningful decisions

(3) .. Not to know the location and strength of the enemy was in his eyes as great as a sin as a commander could commit. He changed that quickly. He visited each headquarters, not just division and regimental, but sometimes battalion and company, arriving in his little plane, landing where no airstrip existed. ... "Nothing by your love of comfort binds you to the roads"..

An IT leader has the greatest responsibility of providing the right information at the right time to the business. As a business leader, your awareness about the information your organization is collecting is paramount.

(4) ... "Find it ! Fix it !! Fight it !!! Finish it !!!!" ...

Need I say more ? When it comes to quality and completeness of information there is a continuum to discover, reinforce, monitor and deliver on your strategic asset.

Are you effectively managing your information hot spots and winning like Gen Ridgway ?

Twitter readers have asked me for reference to the book. Here it is.. Coldest Winter, The: America and the Korean War

Note: I draw parallels in information management from my readings, observations across a variety of topics. Hope your takeaways and feedback are in the same context.

Data - Code of Conduct

Concerns raised regarding ethical behavior in business and in public life rightfully receive a lot of attention. Although millions of business transactions are conducted daily, only a few remain tainted. Financial management mandates a checklist of acceptable behavior, penalties for violation and standards for broader use of assets.

If your organization plans to manage data as an asset, shouldn't you have a Data Code of Conduct ?

Introducing "Drishti"

Drishti means "vision" or "insight" in Sanskrit. It also means "a point of focus". Thus, focusing on Drishti aids concentration. Businesses need Drishti to be profitable, to align and to be competitive.

Does your Business have Drishti to take advantage during the downturn ?