In today’s digital world, you would be hard-pressed to find a successful company that disagrees with the view that data is important It seems new articles pop up weekly claiming how data has become one of the most valued commodities in the world. It’s true: treated as a strategic asset, data can become a competitive advantage and help propel success. According to Gartner’s Fourth Annual CDO report, using data and analytics to drive success is about measuring the value of information, adopting emerging digital trust technologies, and leading strategically oriented data and analytics teams.

At Collibra, we believe that when business users have access to the data they need, organisations can transform into modern digital enterprises ready to collaborate, innovate and grow. What follows from connecting the right data, insights and algorithms to allow Data Citizens to optimise processes, increase efficiency and drive innovation, is Data Intelligence. We believe all companies can achieve Data Intelligence, but not without bringing people and processes along on the journey.

So what does a truly data-enabled organisation look like?

Over the years, we’ve been able to identify a few common denominators among clients who have managed to build deep data cultures. Data-enabled organisations tend to:

• Foster collaboration since all employees can engage with data in any form, together
• Set clear expectations with key roles such as “data owner” and “data consumer” defined and assigned
• Encourage continuous learning for employees around new functionalities and skills

With this profile in mind, think about your own organisation. Are you data-enabled? Don’t worry, most organisations are somewhere on the spectrum but few have made it all the way (yet). That’s why we’ve assembled a framework for how to begin or accelerate your journey to Data Intelligence:

• Recognise your starting point: Where does your data team reside? The closer to the business, the better.
• Get a new perspective: What business objectives are your organisation trying to achieve? How can data support those use cases, and which ones should you prioritise first?
• Build a diverse team: Is your current team equipped to successfully engage with other parts of the business? Including data-oriented people from across the organisation will bring new insights into the data issues that both creators and users have within their part of the business.
• Focus on the Data Council: This body provides oversight of the data governance program, including its policies, procedures, and various projects.
• Be flexible: If the business is struggling with a process, a definition doesn’t make sense, or another issue arises, engage and be willing to evolve.
• Evangelise constructively and strategically: Proper communication will both create the data culture and provide Data Citizens with important information they will need to do their jobs effectively.
• Meet the business in the middle: Develop assets in “plain English,” conduct demos, create metrics, and encourage self-service.
• Determine how you can help: By proactively asking for feedback, solving Data Citizen issues, and getting involved in projects that will add value, teams can help ensure they are supporting their organisation's Data Intelligence journey effectively.

As you can see, the key to achieving Data Intelligence is having the right policies, processes, collaboration forums, communications channels, and technology support for data-engaged individuals. By removing all obstacles to grant Data Citizens seamless access to relevant data, with full transparency and rich context, true transformation can finally take place.

Article by Collibra

If you are attending Big Data LDN 2019, we recommend catching the following two Governance track sessions which delve deeper into the topic of Data Intelligence:

At 3:50 pm on Wednesday, November 13, Horia Selegean, Data Governance Director at British Telecom, will share best practices and lessons learned from using Collibra to fuel their digital transformation.

At 1:10  pm on Thursday, November 14, Tudor Borlea, Sr. Sales Engineer at Collibra, will demonstrate how the product is used by organisations to transform the way data is managed and used by Data Citizens to push progress and become data-driven.

We are eager to chat with you about your organisation's Data Intelligence journey. Please stop by the Collibra booth (#365) anytime - and check out our new design-your-own swag bar!