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The data asset

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The four core components of a typical business activity are:

The process, which defines the individual steps to be undertaken and, importantly, should ensure that the end-to-end process is effective in delivering the desired outcomes.

Data, which include inputs to and outputs from the process, and flows through it.

Software and hardware systems, which automate the process by storing and manipulating the data, although not every process will be automated by software.

People, who are the ‘actors’ in the process, undertaking key process steps and ensuring suitable organisational outcomes.

Despite data being a key enabler for any process, in many organisations there is a greater management focus on the technology elements, particularly when undertaking business change projects involving software. The software product is likely to be expensive, have a recognised name and be a core part of the project, therefore leading to much attention.

In typical situations, however, the data that will be used to enable the technology to deliver the required outcomes are the data in one or more existing software systems. These data will need to be migrated to the new software tool, but the data migration process is typically a high-risk part of the overall project and, if not undertaken correctly, will actually degrade the quality of the data.

If the quality of existing data is perceived to be poor then no matter how good a new software tool is, and how well it has been implemented, the outcomes of the system will be limited by the quality of the data. This poor quality data can mean that data migration is far more challenging and expensive, and may not even be feasible at all.

Figure 1.1 The components of a business activity