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How Many Students do we have – Part 2 of 4
This is the second of four articles in the series “why it’s so difficult to agree how many of something we have.” (note: this is a Guest article by my colleague Rav Ubhi-Adams. First published on Linked In) In the first of our articles, @AlexLeigh set out a high-level approach for answering the common question we all get asked or ask – how many students do we have? Populations are a potential solution to ease some of the frustration on this. Both for those asking and attempting to answer what feels like a simple question! In this article, we’re going to [...]
Tell me again.. how many students do we have?
(This is the first of four articles to discuss why it is so difficult to agree how many of something we have, a proven approach to overcome this, a worked example and an idea of what to do next). A question often asked and rarely answered the same way twice! There are many reasons for this, and most of those can be seen on that quick sketch above which led to a long LINKEDIN discussion about the work we'd done at a recent workshop. Essentially there are two issues to address: 1) What question are you trying to answer. If we [...]
Crafting the business case for Data Governance
This isa subject we often come back to, because it's a hard problem to solve. Not impossible, but requires authenticity and organisational narrative wrapped in rigorous approach to creating the right content to engage, enthuse and - ultimately - convince your audience. The term 'crafting' feeling appropriate here- this is not a cookie cutter generic document that promises 'data driven decision making', 'reduced costs' or 'improved risk management'. Rather it explains simply but coherently why managing data as an asset is integral and enabling to the success of the organisation, specifically in support of its stated goals and priorities.Wow, that's quite [...]
Does your Data Governance team need a conductor?
“What skills does a Data Governance manager need?” is a question I’m often asked. In fact, I’ve made a stab at answering it here: https://lnkd.in/eSRuYMz4#data Re-reading that reminds me of a discussion I had with Debbie Carless BA(Hons) PGDipIM CMgr FCMI (who is DG manager at Solent and also a musician) as to if the role was analogous to that of a conductor of an orchestra. There’s something in that; creating a community of the willing coalescing around a single idea. Lots of subject matter experts all following the same score. All of us together far more than the sum [...]
You Keep Using That Word, I Do Not Think It Means What You Think It Means
Not the snappiest title ever, but any reference to the Princess Bride has to be cut a certain amount of slack! As must I, based on the previous blog post being published some eighteen months ago. In my defence, the last couple of years have been crazy busy which has also generated a whole load of content I'm keen to share. Starting with a oldie but a goodie, chosen only because I finally fixed the Business Glossary template linked to in this article. If you've not read that, it's offers lots of good advice on the how and why of generating, maintaining [...]
Data Governance is a wet sock problem!
This might be a bit of a stretch. But stick with me. When my daughter was young, she was very impatient. No idea where she gets it from. Anyway, after a bath, she'd always get dressed without drying herself properly. This led to 'the parable of the wet sock'. Firstly, she had to find the sock. It would often be in the wrong drawer. And it would never be attached to a matched item. After time spent assembling a pair, dragging a once dry sock over a wet foot was a study in frustration. And a sure way to early sock destruction. Completing [...]
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