Actionable Information Management Principles: People

[Steve Bennett]

I now at the sharp end of creating an Information Management Strategy and Roadmap and I have started to draft a set of IM Principles while identifying practical ways for the organisation to make use of them. I have done some research and collected together my own thoughts. Here is where I need the help of the community. Over the next few days I will share my principles and I hope that some of you will share your own reactions, thoughts and ideas. So the challenge is for us to come up with an actionable set of IM Principles. The principles currently fall into 4 categories: People Process Technology Content Today's blog is about my principles and actions centred on People. Here they are: Principle #1 – Information Is An Asset Business Driver Making decisions based on a single authoritative source of information earns the Company a financial return. Actions Each Company business is expected to seek opportunities to use information to increase the quality of the services it provides and reduce the overall cost of operation. Manage Information based on the value to the Company – data critical to the operation of the Company should be identified and managed appropriately. Each the Company business shall employ management methodologies consistent to the Company nationally – to guide and control the planning, acquisition, development, operation, maintenance, and evaluation of information management applications. Justify Exceptions – If an information management principle is to be broken then this must be justified Data items, data interfaces, measures and all business and data quality rules must have Business and IT owners. Every item of data requires unique and ultimate ownership by a single role and person. This does not imply that all customers, products or other items of data maintain common ownership, rather that a matrix or responsibilities is managed. This ensures that issues or conflicts always have an ultimate point of escalation. Data about data is also an asset - that can be even more valuable than the original piece of data. Metadata will be created and stored centrally as appropriate. Information should be used consistently across the Company - consistently represented across systems, available at the same granularity and summary levels so that meaningful comparisons can be made between Company businesses. Information should be retained whenever physically possible within the constraints of government legislation, corporate ethics and privacy commitments. While data is of greatest value when aggregated and interpreted, it is important that the most granular or detailed data be retained to allow for other interpretations and aggregations to be made in the future. Principle #2 – Information is Shared Business Driver Information value is increased when it is freely shared across Company functions, businesses and departments. Actions The value of information increases when people can use it collaboratively. Openness & sharing of corporate information is to be encouraged for all staff, except where the nature of the information would indicate otherwise. This openness facilitates the effective sharing and reuse of information across...

I now at the sharp end of creating an Information Management Strategy and Roadmap and I have started to draft a set of IM Principles while identifying practical ways for the organisation to make use of them. I have done some research and collected together my own thoughts.

Here is where I need the help of the community. Over the next few days I will share my principles and I hope that some of you will share your own reactions, thoughts and ideas. So the challenge is for us to come up with an actionable set of IM Principles.

The principles currently fall into 4 categories:

1. People


2. Process


3. Technology


4. Content

Today's blog is about my principles and actions centred on People. Here they are:

Principle
#1 – Information Is An Asset

Business
Driver

Making
decisions based on a single authoritative source of information earns the
Company a financial return.

Actions

1. Each
   Company business is expected to seek opportunities to use information to
   increase the quality of the services it provides and reduce the overall cost of
   operation.


2. Manage
   Information based on the value to the Company – data critical to the operation of the
   Company should be identified and managed appropriately. Each the Company
   business shall employ management methodologies consistent to the Company
   nationally – to guide and control the planning, acquisition, development,
   operation, maintenance, and evaluation of information management applications.


3. Justify
   Exceptions – If an
   information management principle is to be broken then this must be justified


4. Data
   items, data interfaces, measures and all business and data quality rules must
   have Business and IT owners. Every item of data requires unique and ultimate ownership by a single
   role and person. This does not imply that all customers, products or other
   items of data maintain common ownership, rather that a matrix or
   responsibilities is managed. This ensures that issues or conflicts always have
   an ultimate point of escalation.


5. Data
   about data is also an asset - that can be even more valuable than the original piece of data.
   Metadata will be created and stored centrally as appropriate.


6. Information
   should be used consistently across the Company - consistently represented across
   systems, available at the same granularity and summary levels so that
   meaningful comparisons can be made between Company businesses. Information
   should be retained whenever physically possible within the constraints of government
   legislation, corporate ethics and privacy commitments. While data is of
   greatest value when aggregated and interpreted, it is important that the most
   granular or detailed data be retained to allow for other interpretations and
   aggregations to be made in the future.

Principle
#2 – Information is Shared

Business
Driver

Information
value is increased when it is freely shared across Company functions,
businesses and departments.

Actions

1. The
   value of information increases when people can use it collaboratively. Openness & sharing of
   corporate information is to be encouraged for all staff, except where the
   nature of the information would indicate otherwise. This openness facilitates
   the effective sharing and reuse of information across the Company.


2. Critical
   business data should be kept in a single location (system of record) wherever possible.


3. National
   View of Information – critical
   business data must deliver a trusted management view of all Company businesses.
   Accepting that one of the major assets of any large organisation is information.
   This information takes on much greater value as a whole when it is integrated
   across systems.


4. Consistent
   use of standard business and data quality rules makes sharing easier (cheaper).


5. Consistent
   Presentation Of Information – increases the value to the Company as it is easier to use and share.

Principle
#3 – Information Must Be Available

Business
Driver

Value
can only be generated when information is managed as a part of real business
processes.

Actions

1. Each
   Company decision maker should be knowledgeable about the information requirements and
   information management practices of the Company and should provide active leadership
   in the exploration of new opportunities to use information technology. Each
   Company business should establish clear lines of authority and responsibility
   for information management.


2. Each
   Company business shall establish and maintain an information management
   function consistent with its operational needs. This function shall serve to ensure
   Company' ability to identify the information it collects, maintain the integrity
   and security of the information, and provide for appropriate access to the
   information.

Principle
#4 – Fact-based Decision Making

Business
Driver

Decisions
that recorded and that are themselves based on recorded facts can be evaluated
so that decision making improves over time. 

Actions

1. The
   information asset should be leveraged every day in every decision. Both strategic and operational
   decisions should be based on facts, which can be sourced back to data, which is
   held by the enterprise. The challenge in the organisation's federated environment
   is that users may require information that originates in several systems to
   make their daily decisions. The solution provides a means for integrating data
   across operational and analytical systems so that users can make fact-based
   decisions in a federated environment.

            Apply information dynamically to:

• Provide
  insight to support evidence-based decisions




• Target
  our service delivery activity




• Influence
  spend behaviour in our clients




• Manage
  our business.

Principle
#5 – Information Improves Our Clients Life

Business
Driver

Customer
improvements can be directly and indirectly monetised.

Actions

1. Make
   sure the information we give our clients helps them meet their needs.

 Over the next few days my posts will cover the other 3 categories:

• Process


• Technology


• Content

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