If you work for a bank or utilities organisation, then gaining a foothold for data quality is largely focused on proving you can increase the profits of an organisation.
In the public sector of course there are different priorities so how can you demonstrate the value of your data quality mission?
In this article I want to explore some public sector "data quality selling points" that I've witnessed over the years. Demonstrating a cost benefit is always beneficial but, for now, I shall focus on three other useful selling points:
Selling Point #1 - Executive (Non) Compliance: In most public sector organisations, executives and senior management are bound by compliance directives and regulations outside their organisation. For example, in the UK National Health Service (NHS), there is a huge amount of regulations that care workers and organisations are bound by. Directors of hospitals and care organisations for example will be regularly assessed for quality via the Care Quality Commission which can enforce measures ranging from issuing warnings through to prosecution.
In past interviews on Data Quality Pro we have learned that sometimes the most powerful selling point for data quality management comes not only from providing better quality outcomes and cutting costs but also from ensuring a successful quality audit. This is important because a compliance failure can clearly have a considerable leadership impact if prosecutions or suspensions are issued.
The boards of public sector organisations are increasingly being held to account, not only for the quality of service their organisation provides but also the quality of figures they produce.
Selling Point #2 - Sharing Stories: Telling the story of how poor data quality impacted a patient or someone the organisation is meant to serve can often have a powerful effect on senior management which may have previously been unconvinced about the importance of data quality.
In this report on "Putting Quality First in the Boardroom" a common tactic for getting board-level engagement is to share patient stories. We connect more readily with stories that move us and I have witnessed this a number of times in my interviews, not just in the public sector but the private sector also. Stories can cut through your presentations, dashboards and reports to leave a lasting impression on executives.
Particularly in the healthcare sector there is no shortage of data quality related stories so having a catalogue of these can be useful in motivating leaders to act.
In addition whilst telling a powerful story, back it up with the data analysis during the presentation so they can see the scale and frequency of the problem. It’s often easy for executives to observe the story as a one-off event but if you can show that it stems from a cultural or endemic problem in the company it drives the message home even harder.
Of course, you can't just focus on the negative side of data quality. As you deliver small pilots or localised improvements, be sure to go on a marketing drive by explaining the tangible gains your initiative has delivered. Demonstrate the impact on service quality, risk reduction, cost reduction, efficiencies and any other items high on the executive agenda.
Selling Point #3 - Efficiency: Public sector organisations are obviously keen to cut costs because they mostly have total transparency over their financial reporting and therefore need to demonstrate value for money either with their shareholders, the government or indeed the public.
Many public sector organisations are measured not on the cost reductions they make but on the speed and efficiency of their service.
For example, Accident and Emergency departments of UK hospitals have to report on the following metrics: "Left department before being seen for treatment rate," "Re-attendance rate," "Time to initial assessment," "Time to treatment" and "Total time in A&E."
Notice how four of the five indicators are time related? Demonstrating how better data quality management can improve these metrics would undoubtedly become a strong selling point for executives under pressure to improve their accident and emergency response times.
My assumption was always that cost savings would be the biggest driver for gaining data quality buy-in within the public sector but demonstrating cost savings is often difficult for staff to implement. Efficiencies can often be considered a better option because they are more tangible. If you improve a clerical process for example then the lead time is often visible - a patient gets seen quicker, a building control notice gets issued faster, an executive report gets delivered earlier - the gains are all tangible.
Is your organisation in the public sector? How have you demonstrated the value of data quality management to your leadership?
