Any time a new concept or product is introduced into an organization, there can be chaos. Even the thought of change can set people into what I call the CHURN mode. CHURN mode has the following characteristics:

1. Nobody really gets any work completed, but they look busy
2. Everyone is talking about the changes and how they THINK this change will affect their projects. This creates more CHURN on the project teams and the project may stall
3. No one has a clear understanding of the vision of master data management for this organization

As an example, let’s say we have an organization that has just completed a prototype where they integrated customer data in one place to propagate throughout the enterprise. What a great concept – right? Absolutely! But what about product data, employee data, facility data, etc.? The point is we proved that we can integrate customer data from multiple systems without a clear vision of the future architecture for master data. Not just the integration of master data, but the management of the master data.

To come and play with me, consider the following:

1. Create a vision before a proof of concept
2. Create a strategy for master data management
3. Adjust the vision throughout the proof of concept (based on gathered facts)
4. Understand the components involved in the master data initiative and how you might prioritize based on value to the corporation
5. Move forward slowly using requirements and critical success factors

BTW – remind everyone to play NICE in the sandbox together!